McGee Becomes the Hero
by socialgal5
Summary: When McGee is assigned to protect the witness in the murder of a Marine Lt, he becomes a little more attached to the case than he should.After the emotional case is over, she'll need a shoulder to cry on. Will McGee find love with Elle? COMPLETED
1. Dead Marine and Distraught Witness

NCIS Special Agent Gibbs walked in between the desks of his team. "Gear up," he announced. "We've got a dead Marine. Let's go!"

Ziva, Tony, and McGee all rushed to grab their gear and catch up with Gibbs as he walked into the elevator, looking slightly annoyed at having to hold the doors for them.

"What're we dealing with here, Boss?" DiNozzo wanted to know, shifting the weight of his black backpack to the other shoulder.

"We'll find out when we get there," Gibbs replied. "Local PD called it in."

After a short ride, the NCIS team arrived at a nice little house in Alexandria, Virginia. The entire area was cordoned off with yellow "Police Line, Do Not Cross" tape.

"Looks like the rookies got here before we did," Ziva remarked, observing the several police cruisers and all the officers swarming over the property.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" one of the officers asked. "I'm Captain Greer. I was one of the first on the scene."

Gibbs shook the cop's hand. "What can you tell us, Captain?"

As they ducked under the tape and walked towards the house, the officer told them everything he knew.

" A concerned neighbor called it in. She said she heard what sounded like a gunshot from inside the house around 11pm last night, but then the car left shortly thereafter, so she dismissed it. This morning, however, she noticed the car still gone and the front door partly opened. When she investigated, she discovered the dead Marine in the living room." The officer pointed to a young blonde-haired woman who was huddled on the front porch swing, gently rocking herself back and forth.

"We found her in the bedroom closet," he announced. "She had been tied up, gagged, and cold-cocked. She hasn't said a word so far."

"McGee," Gibbs said meaningfully.

"Right, Boss, talk to the girl. On it."

McGee walked over to the swing slowly. He could see that the girl was probably mid-twenties, had long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes still looked glassy.

"May I sit down?" Timothy asked politely.

She looked up at him, her eyes looking like that of a puppy dog who had been whipped. Finally, she nodded, yes.

"My name is Timothy McGee. I'm with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Can you tell us what happened here?" McGee could she that this girl was trying to keep up her bravado, but the tears were threatening to spill over at any moment.

"We…we were watching a movie and someb—somebody knocked on the door. Wi—Will went to get it, but he didn't come back. The next thing I knew, someone was coming up behind me. When I finally woke up, I was stuffed in the closet." She stopped to take a deep breath and McGee distinctly saw her bottom lip tremble dangerously.

"Keep going. You're doing great," McGee encouraged her. He put his hand lightly on her arm but she flinched and pulled away from him.

"The next thing I knew, I heard someone calling for Will. I tried to make some noise, but I couldn't really move. I heard the same person scream, and that's when I knew something had to be wrong." She ran her hands through her long hair and then buried her face in her hands.

Inside the house, Gibbs, Ducky, and Palmer were examining Lt. William Rogers body. He was lying on the kitchen floor, two bullets in his chest and a puddle of blood around his body. It was obvious that he hadn't been dead for more than twelve hours.

"Well, the obvious cause of death is from being shot," Ducky observed.

Gibbs rolled his blue-grey eyes. "Anything _else_ you can tell me, Duck?"

"Well, not until I get him back to NCIS and perform an autopsy, Jethro. Mr. Palmer, go and get the gurney now, please."

Jimmy nodded, his glasses sliding down on his nose a little. "Right away, Doctor."

McGee was still trying to get some information from the girl, but she was getting more and more unresponsive. He wasn't sure, but he thought she might be going into some form of shock.

When Jimmy started coming back up the walk, the girl stood up suddenly. "I have to see Will before they take him away," she insisted, heading for the door.

McGee caught her before she could get very far. "That's…not a good idea," he told her quietly.

She looked up at him. "Why? What happened to him? How did he die? I want to know the truth!"

"He was shot," Gibbs announced, coming out of the house and answering her question before McGee had time too.

The girl swallowed hard and several tears rolled down her cheeks. "He is dead, right?" she whispered.

"Yeah, he's dead," Gibbs replied shortly. "Now, you better start telling us who the hell you are."

"My name is Elle. Elle Charlton. Will and I were best friends—we grew up together. Every Sunday night, I come over here to watch a movie with him . But…not anymore…"

That's when she broke down. The floodgates opened and her dammed up tears overflowed. She sank to the porch floor, sobbing quietly. Without a moment's hesitation, McGee knelt beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"She's in shock, Boss. She hasn't had time to process all the information," McGee insisted, looking up at Gibbs.

"Get her checked out by the EMTs. Then she's coming back to NCIS with us."

"What for Boss?" McGee wanted to know. He felt extremely sorry for this poor young woman. She seemed heartbroken.

"Because she was the last person to see Lt. Rogers alive," Gibbs called over his shoulder as he walked away.


	2. Interrogation

Elle was sitting in the back of the ambulance being examined by the EMTs when a young man came rushing up.

"Elle, I just heard about Will's murder on the news. I'm so sorry." He went to hug her but she shrank back in fear.

"Get away from me, Scott! I told you to leave me alone!" Elle exclaimed. "I don't ever want to see you again."

"Baby," the young man pleaded, kneeling by her side. "You know I love you."

McGee, standing nearby, noticed the look on the young woman's face. She looked scared, helpless, and downright pitiful. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was pale. The guy seemed to be pestering her and she didn't seem to like it.

"Everything all right here?" he asked, walking towards the ambulance.

"Hey man, stay out of this. This is my girlfriend, okay?"

Elle stood up suddenly and pushed past him to stand behind McGee. "I'm not his girlfriend," she insisted. "I used to be, but not anymore." She looked up at Timothy. "Can you please get me out of here?"

McGee looked down into her bright, pleading blue eyes and he nodded. "C'mon. We need to get you back to NCIS."

He put his hand on hers and turned to escort her to the blue Dodge Charger. She came willingly, glancing back nervously over her shoulder to make sure that the guy wasn't following them.

_ELLE'S POV_

After a short drive through downtown Washington, D.C., I was escorted into the NCIS building by the entire NCIS team. So far, Agent McGee was the only one who seemed very nice. Agent Gibbs looked like he could be mean and almost like he didn't have any heart. Agent DiNozzo was good-looking and Agent David was simply beautiful.

Agent David took me up an elevator to an interrogation room and offered me something to drink. I shyly asked if I could get a large cup of black coffee. In less than five minutes, she brought it back and then I was left alone.

My thoughts were racing as my brain replayed the ordeal over and over again. I wanted to write everything down, so I wouldn't forget anything important. The worst part was seeing them bring Will's covered body out on a gurney. I wanted to say goodbye, but the NCIS agents wouldn't let me get close to his body.

Finally, the door opened and Agent Gibbs and Agent David walked in, carrying a small manila folder.

"So, tell us about your relationship with Lt. Rogers," Agent Gibbs suggested, sitting down across the small metal table from me.

"It's like I told Agent McGee; he's my best friend. We've known each other since we were sixteen."

"Were you dating the Lieutenant?" Agent David wanted to know, standing in the corner with her arms folded over her chest.

"No!" I exclaimed. "Why does everyone always assume that?"

"What do you mean? People think you are dating him?" she continued to press for information.

I sighed, my throat and heart aching painfully. "Will and I have been best friends since we met. We hung out together, studied together—you name it, we did it together. When we graduated from high school, he joined the Marine Corps and I got into college here in D.C. Since he had an office job, he worked regular hours," I explained.

"Which meant you could hang out on the weekends still," Agent Gibbs finished my thought for me.

"That's right. Sunday nights were our movie nights. We would go to Movie Gallery and pick out something we'd never seen before. It was tradition."

"McGee said you did not see your attacker," Agent David declared. "Is that true?" I nodded, swallowing hard. "I was watching a video on my phone that my friend had sent me. I saw my attacker's reflection in the TV, but before I had a chance to react, he…he hit me."

"So you didn't hear a gunshot?" Agent Gibbs wanted to know.

I shook my head. "No. The next thing I remember is waking up in the closet, tied up and gagged." I took a sip of my coffee quickly and it scorched my mouth.

"Did Lt. Rogers have any enemies that you know of?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. Will was a favorite with everyone. People just love him. He never mentioned anything about having any enemies."

"What about you?" Agent David stared directly into my eyes as she stated her question.

"Wait!" I looked from Agent Gibbs to her and then back at the older, handsome NCIS agent. "Do you think that it's my fault that Will was shot?" I sat back in the chair and let my shoulders slump in dismay.

"We're just trying to figure out who might have done it," Agent Gibbs assured me.

I ran my fingers through my long hair wearily. "I only have one person that I'm scared of. My ex-boyfriend, Scott Harper. We dated for about four months until he… he wanted more than I was willing to give. We went out to eat one night and I told him I wanted to break up. Turns out, he planned to propose to me that night. He became really loud and somewhat violent."

"So how long has he been stalking you?" Agent Gibbs inquired.

My head snapped up. "How did you know?"

He held up the folder. "You filed a restraining order against him three months ago. He's violated the perimeter five times since then."

"He never liked the fact that I hung out with Will," I admitted. "But murder—I just can't imagine him going that far. He came to the crime scene this morning to check on me. Scott had a good heart at times, but hormones and jealousy were way too prevalent."

Agent Gibbs got up and headed for the door. "We'll see," was all he said.

"Wait!" I called. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Until we figure this thing out," he replied.


	3. Investigating

Back in the bullpen, McGee and DiNozzo were doing background checks on both Lt. Rogers and Elle Charlton.

"She's pretty hot, don't you think, Probie?" Tony asked McGee.

"Who?" McGee looked up, his eyebrows scrunched together in puzzlement.

"Lt. Roger's 'best friend'," Tony replied, looking at McGee as if he was some kind of alien from Mars.

"Oh, yeah. She is very pretty. I'm worried though—she seemed very shaken up over what happened today." McGee stared off into space, lost deep in thought.

Tony threw up his hands. "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. Wouldn't you be a little upset if your best friend was murdered and you were tied up in the closet, unconscious, while it all happened?" He paused for a minute. "Unless, of course, she was the murderer."

"What?" McGee's head snapped up suddenly. "No. I don't think she could have killed him. She doesn't look like she could have done that."

"What makes you say that, McGee?" Gibbs wanted to know, coming through the desks, followed closely by Ziva.

"Well I…um…I dunno, Boss," McGee stammered. "She seemed…genuinely upset over what happened."

"I agree with McGee," Ziva spoke up. "I do not think that young woman is capable of shooting someone brutally. She seemed very close to him, although I find it hard to understand why she would not be dating Lieutenant Rogers." She opened the folder in her hands. "He was a very handsome young man."

"Tony?" Gibbs called expectantly.

"Lieutenant Rogers service record shows an upstanding young Marine who worked with computers. He was brilliant, according to his commanding officer," Tony informed everyone. "He was friends with everyone, but apparently Elle was known as his 'best' friend. She came by his office frequently and everyone loved her."

"Boss, I did a background check on Elle Charlton. She's an English major who works at a local Barnes and Noble bookstore. Apparently, she's an aspiring novelist," McGee announced, raising his eyebrows in admiration.

"And I'll bet she's a huge fan of Deep Six," Tony muttered under his breath. Everyone seemed to enjoy the bestseller that McGee had written.

"Anything unusual show up in her records, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing besides the restraining order she filed against her ex-boyfriend," McGee replied very matter-of-factly.

"DiNozzo, what've you got on the ex?" Gibbs didn't even look up from his computer screen. He knew his team better than anyone, and even though he frequently caught them talking about personal problems, he knew they always came through for him and did their work.

"Scott Harper is a twenty-six year old college drop-out who joined the Marines at age twenty. He has a history of disorderly conduct. He was dishonorably discharged a year ago. Friends say he began dating Elle Charlton about eight months ago, but she was too good for him. She broke up with him and that's when he began stalking her. She filed the restraining order three months ago after he apparently broke into her apartment," Tony explained, putting a picture of Scott Harper up on the plasma.

"That's the guy who was at the crime scene this morning!" McGee exclaimed, observing the photo closely. "He was pestering Elle…" His voice trailed off when Gibbs gave him a sharp look. "Ms. Charlton."

"Ziva, DiNozzo, bring him in," Gibbs ordered.

While Tony and Ziva headed out to bring Harper in for questioning and McGee went to check on Elle Charlton, Gibbs headed down to Abby's lab. He had a hunch that she had something for him.

"Gibbs, you're way, way too good!" Abby exclaimed, greeting Gibbs with a warm hug. "You always know when I've got something for you."

"You wanna tell me what it is, Abs? I've got a dead Marine downstairs and a distraught young woman upstairs."

"Okay, I ran all the prints that were found at Lt. Rogers house. Most of them belonged to the Lieutenant, but there were others belonging to Elle Charlton," Abby announced.

"Lt. Rogers best friend," Gibbs finished for her. "You got anything else for me?"

Abby cocked her head at her Boss. "Don't I always?" She thought for a moment. "Nevermind. Don't answer that. Anyway, I went over the evidence from the crime scene. The duct tape that was used to bind Elle Charlton's wrists and ankles did have prints on it. And they belong to…"

"Scott Harper," Gibbs finished her sentence for her again.

"Gibbs!" Abby wailed in dismay. "How did you know?"

Gibbs smiled crookedly. "Thank you, Abby," was his only reply. He kissed her cheek lightly and handed her a large Caf-Pow as a reward.

Upstairs, McGee knocked on the interrogation room door, then cautiously went in. Elle was lying on her side on the floor, curled into the fetal position. Timothy's first instinct was that she was unconscious, but he was relieved to discover that he was wrong. She had fallen asleep that way.

When he shut the door behind him, her eyes blinked open and she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry," she apologized. " I'm probably the first person to ever fall asleep in your interrogation room." She stood up and yawned wearily.

"It's fine," McGee told her, smiling at her. Tony was right; she was very pretty. "I just came to see if you needed anything, but on second thought, why don't I move you to our lounge. It's more comfortable then this room."

Her eyes lit up. "That would be really great! I'm exhausted. I really just want to go home."

"Agent Gibbs thinks it's safer if you stay here until we get to the bottom of this," McGee explained. "And he's usually right. But, you're welcome to stay in our lounge for as long as it takes us to figure this case out."

As Elle walked out into the hallway, she stopped for a minute. "Couldn't it take you guys a while to solve the case?"

McGee shrugged a little. "Touché."


	4. Chinese food and a stalker

After Gibbs talked to Abby, he called Ziva and Tony to let them know that Harper's DNA had been found at the house. They had just arrived at his apartment complex and would let Gibbs know as soon as they were on their way back to NCIS with him.

In Ducky's lab, Gibbs observed Lt. Rogers' body lying on the metal table.

"Ahh, Jethro, I knew you would show up down here very soon."

"What've you got for me, Duck?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Well, this young man was in excellent condition, Jethro. He was a Marine in the prime of his life. However, he was strangled just long enough to knock him unconscious. Then, he was shot in the head."

"The killer must have subdued Lt. Rogers, then knocked out Elle Charlton and tied her up in the closet. Then, he took Lt. Rogers into the bedroom and shot him in the head," Gibbs surmised.

"So it seems, I'm afraid." Ducky shook his head in dismay.

In the lounge, McGee got the young woman some more coffee and a candy bar from the vending machine outside.

"Thanks," she told him, accepting them gratefully. It's been a while since I've eaten anything."

McGee checked his watch and scolded himself. Of course she was hungry. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. "Sorry," he apologized. "We uh…got busy."

Elle tried to smile, but it seemed hard and forced. "It's okay. I wasn't very hungry anyway until now." She looked down at her feet. "I guess I probably won't have an appetite for a while."

"You'll get it back," McGee assured her. "How about I order you some food from a restaurant and have it delivered here. Would you like that?"

"Some Chinese would be good," Elle admitted, looking up again. Gentle and sensitive McGee still saw the tears on her eyelashes. She was trying to be brave."

"I'll have it ordered for you and delivered here. Oh, and I'll get a guard to stand outside the door."

"Thank you, Agent McGee. You've been really great about all this. I know I must seem like a wimp, but I…" she took a deep, shuddering breath, "…I can't seem to stop crying. I can't believe that Will is gone. We were…such great friends."

"I'm sorry," was all that McGee could think of to say. For the first time in a while, he felt the urge to put his arm around Elle and tell her to have a good cry on his shoulder. Too bad that was unprofessional. McGee could just imagine Gibbs walking in on them.

Shortly thereafter, McGee headed back to his desk where he ordered some Chinese food from the restaurant down the street and instructed for it to be delivered to the NCIS building.

"Get hungry all of a sudden, McGee?" Gibbs asked, walking into the bullpen.

"It's not for me, Boss. Elle—" McGee saw his Boss give him that same glare again and he quickly corrected himself. "Ms. Charlton told me she was hungry when I went to check on her a few minutes ago. I showed her into the lounge and put a guard by the door, just in case."

"Good thinking, McGee," Gibbs commended him.

Moments later, Gibbs' cell phone rang and he answered it, "yeah, Gibbs."

"Boss, it's DiNozzo. We got to Harper's apartment, but he isn't here. The landlady hasn't seen him in a few days, but we found some interesting things in his apartment."

"McGee and I are heading out. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

When Gibbs and McGee arrived at Harper's apartment, they agreed that things were definitely "interesting." Photos of Lt. Rogers and Elle Charlton were taped to the walls. McGee began browsing through the files on Harper's computer and found videos that he'd taken of Elle with his cell phone.

"He was definitely stalking her," Ziva commented, examining everything as DiNozzo documented it all with the camera.

"Looks like all these pictures are of Elle—Ms. Charlton doing things with Lt. Rogers," McGee spoke up.

"He was jealous," Tony guessed. "Girl meets boy. Boy gets an unhealthy fascination with girl. Girl breaks up with boy. Boy begins stalking girl. Girl files a restraining order. Boy takes out the person closest to girl."

"That is extremely complicated," Ziva remarked, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Not at all," Tony replied, looking at Ziva. "It's really simple, actually. That would be great plot for horror film. No! Wait, I think that idea has already been used."

"Ziva, have you talked to the landlady about what kind of guy Harper was?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"She said that he was a private man who never talked to her except when he came to pay the rent and, even then, he was very quiet."

"If he was angry with Elle, why did he kill Lt. Rogers?" McGee mused.

"He loves her," Ziva stated very simply. "If he murdered the only person he thought stood between them, then maybe he thought they would be together."

Later that evening, when the team returned to the NCIS building, it was late and Gibbs realized his team needed some well-deserved rest. "Go home for the night," he told them. " Get some rest."

"Hey, Boss, what about Elle Charlton. She's still in the lounge," McGee pointed out. "If Harper is still out there, I'm not sure if we should let her go home alone."

Gibbs looked up from his desk. "You wanna play Secret Service, McGee. Fine, the job's yours. Take her back to your apartment."

"Mine? My apartment?" McGee echoed in disbelief. "Um…"

"Problem, McGee?"

"On it, Boss."


	5. Damsel in Distress

As McGee escorted Elle Charlton down to his car, part of him cursed himself for opening his mouth in the first place, but the other part of him was happy at the thought of spending more time with Elle. She was quiet as they headed downstairs, and he could see that she looked exhausted. More so than she had earlier in the day. She wasn't crying anymore however.

"Could we stop by my apartment so I can get a few things?" she asked as they pulled out of the parking deck. "I could use a change of clothes."

"Sure," McGee agreed. "Not a problem."

For the next ten minutes, the only talking between them was Elle giving Timothy direction to her apartment complex. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her, but he didn't feel like now was exactly the right time to do that. Later, maybe, once the case was closed, he would be able to become acquainted with her.

"I'll only be a few minutes," Elle assured him, climbing out of the car as soon as McGee parked in front of the building.

"You need any help?" he wanted to know.

"Nah, I'm good," she replied. "Thank you, though, Agent McGee."

When Elle got upstairs to her apartment, she easily let herself inside with the key that was hidden under the fire extinguisher at the end of the hall. Her knock-off Prada handbag was still in Will's house, which was considered a crime scene, so she couldn't get it back.

Closing the door behind her, she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Scott Harper, her ex-boyfriend, was standing there, waiting for her.

"Scott! What are you doing here?" she demanded to know. " You broke in?"

"I didn't break in, baby. I used the spare key you leave outside, but then I put it back, in case you came by. I'm glad you're here. I think we should talk about what happened."

Elle shook her head, trying to hide her fear. This was the farthest Scott had ever gone to get to her and she was beginning to wonder if Agent Gibbs was right and he had murdered Will. "I'm not talking to you," she declared, turning and heading towards the door.

Scott grabbed her arm roughly and whirled her around angrily. "You're gonna talk to me, you little bitch!"

Elle struggled against him with all her strength and finally escaped his grasp, then made a mad dash to her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it securely, then pulled her cell phone out of her pocket along with the business card Agent McGee had given her earlier. It had his cell phone number on it and she dialed it with trembling fingers.

"Don't make me come in there, Elle!" Scott threatened from the other side of the door.

Elle moved closer, holding the phone up to her ear. "I'm calling the cops, Scott, so go away and leave me alone."

"Hello?" McGee answered the call on the other end of the phone.

Suddenly, the bedroom door crashed open and the edge of it hit the left side of Elle's face and making a deep gash over her eyebrow. The blow knocked her to the ground, dazed and stunned, and the phone tumbled across the room.

"Why did you have to file that damn restraining order, Elle?" Scott yelled, barging into the room and jerking her to her feet by the collar of her jacket.

"Because you're a monster!" she sobbed loudly. "You killed Will, didn't you?"

McGee, on the other end of the phone, instantly realized that something was terribly wrong upstairs. He grabbed his gun, badge, and cuffs off the back seat and then bolted towards the building.

Timothy had never been a very athletic person, but he'd always managed to pass the yearly physical. Right now though, he was running so fast that even DiNozzo would have been proud of him. He still had his phone to his ear and he could hear Elle sobbing and begging for mercy. Harper was still yelling angrily and he kept hearing noises that sounded like someone hitting someone.

When he reached the fifth level, he realized that Apartment 528 was on the other end of the hallway and he fairly flew down the long corridor, his gun already out and ready.

He got to the door, shoved his phone into his pocket, and then broke the door down with his shoulder.

"NCIS!" he shouted, entering the apartment.

"McGee!" Elle screamed from the bedroom.

"Shut up!" a male voice yelled. His words were followed by solid smack and a loud whimper.

McGee hurried to the bedroom doorway and aimed his weapon the man who had Elle pinned to the bed. Her face was covered in blood and her tears were mixing with it, making for quite the gruesome sight.

"Step away from her," McGee ordered angrily, trying to focus his attention on Harper and not on the injured Elle.

"This girl ruined by life!" Scott insisted, shaking Elle roughly.

"Please, McGee," Elle begged him. "Please, do something!"

"You have three seconds," McGee declared, trying to maintain his cool composure. "One…." Harper didn't move a muscle, but he gave Elle another smack.

Finally, McGee lost it. He took a shot and hit Harper directly in the shoulder. The enraged man staggered backwards, then collapsed, clutching his shoulder as blood poured through his fingers.

"Elle," McGee said, keeping his gun aimed at Harper and holding out his other hand to her. She grabbed it and scrambled off the bed and stood behind him, leaning against his back and sobbing.

"I need you to take my phone and call Gibbs," McGee told her, pulling his cell out of his pocket and slipping it into her hand. "Tell him what happened."

In twenty minutes, Gibbs arrived at the scene along with an ambulance. He was soon followed by Ziva and Tony.

"Wow! Looks like McGee is really taking his work out of the office with him," Tony commented, seeing the EMTs take Harper out on a stretcher.

"Looks like he gave Elle a pretty good beating," Ziva remarked. Elle was sitting on the kitchen counter letting the EMTs clean and stitch up the deep gash on across her right eyebrow. Her lip was also cut and her cheek was bruised.

Tony winced. "Ouch! That doesn't look pleasant. I'd say McGee got the guy back pretty well, though."

Gibbs walked up to his two agents. "It's about time you two got here," he told them.

"What happened, Boss?" DiNozzo asked curiously.

"Elle stopped by to get some clothes while McGee waited in the car. When she was inside, Harper showed up and started beating her. Elle managed to get a call off to McGee. He shot him in the shoulder."

"Looks like the Cowardly Lion finally got some nerve," Tony remarked, looking at McGee with a little admiration for once.

"I want you two to go with Harper to the hospital," Gibbs ordered them. "I'll take care of things here and let McGee go with Elle to get her checked out."

"It looks like she is going to need a lot of stitches," Ziva observed.

"You think?" Gibbs asked dryly.


	6. A Tender Moment and a Good Night

McGee was still a little shaken up by what had happened, so he was sitting in the bedroom, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"You okay, McGee?" Gibbs asked from the doorway.

Timothy's head snapped up. "Yeah, Boss. I was just uh…thinking about what happened."

Without saying anything, Gibbs sat down beside his young agent and was silent for several moments. "You know, you did the right thing," he told him.

"He was beating her, Boss. I had to do something." McGee looked up at Gibbs.

"McGee," Gibbs said firmly. "You…Did…The…Right…Thing."

McGee nodded slowly, his expression glum. "I know."

Gibbs slapped Tim on the back a few times. "I need you to go to the hospital with Elle and make sure she gets taken care of. Then, take her back to your place and the two of you get some rest."

"On it, Boss."

McGee took Elle to the hospital where an ER doctor stitched her up and informed her that she would probably be sore for several days. The headache would go away with some Motrin and a good night's rest.

As they walked out to the car, McGee was surprised when Elle slid her hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned her head against his arm.

"Thank you, McGee," she whispered. "You saved my life tonight."

"You're welcome," he replied, smiling to himself in the darkness.

When they got back to his apartment, McGee showed Elle to the bathroom and brought her a large NCIS t-shirt to put on after she got out of the shower.

"If you need anything, just holler at me," he told her, leaving her alone in the small bathroom.

McGee went into the small kitchen to find something to eat. It was past midnight and he was exhausted, but starving. He heard the shower come on and grinned to himself. Usually it would be Tony or Ziva who got the job of protecting the victims. Tonight it was him, Timothy McGee, who had taken down the bad guy, rescued the damsel-in-distress, and saved the day. Well, night actually. It would make a good addition for his latest novel, which he'd been struggling to write. "Hmmm…"he thought. "Maybe I'll add Elle in there somewhere."

After making himself a sandwich, McGee changed into some more comfortable clothes and then crashed on the couch. About that time, Elle emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing his t-shirt, which was far too big for her. Since she didn't have any other pants to wear, she had pulled on the yoga pants she'd been wearing all day.

"Thanks for letting me use the shower," she told him, walking into the living room. "It felt good."

McGee couldn't help realized again just how attractive Elle was. And, she was in his apartment, wearing his clothes.

"Umm…yeah, sure," he replied, trying to concentrate on forming a sentence rather than Elle's beautiful figure.

"Can I sit down?" Elle wanted to know, gesturing towards the seat beside McGee on the sofa.

"Yeah, sure." McGee moved a blanket and made room for Elle to sit, which she did.

Elle's POV:

I leaned my head back against the sofa cushions, sighed and closed my eyes wearily. My body was so stiff and sore, despite the magic that the hot shower had worked on me.

"You feelin' okay?" McGee wanted to know, concern echoing in the tone of his voice.

"I'm tired," I admitted, opening my eyes. "And sore. And sad."

"So you two were best friends, huh? You and Lt. Rogers."

I nodded, biting my lip to keep from crying. "We grew up together and, after my parents died, his parents helped raise me. I lived with them for several years and then they helped me pay my way through college. He was my brother almost, and yes, he was my best friends."

"Its nice to have someone you can trust like that," McGee commented. "I have Boss, Ziva, Tony, Abby, and Ducky."

"Abby and Ducky?" I echoed, unfamiliar with the names.

"Yeah. Abby is our forensic scientist and Ducky is our medical examiner," Timothy explained. "Maybe you can meet them tomorrow."

"We have to go back? Back to NCIS in the morning?" I asked. I wanted to sleep and relax for hours. I wanted to forget what had happened and sink into absolute darkness where no one and nothing could hurt me again.

"Boss wants to interrogate Harper, once he's released from the hospital. And, you'll have to give a formal statement, of course."

I looked down at my hands, feeling sad again. "I should have seen it coming," I whispered. " I should have known that Scott was some psycho. If I had never gone out with him in the first place, Will would still be alive."

"You can't blame yourself, Elle," McGee hastened to assure me. "Thinking about what might have been isn't going to bring him back, so just forget it."

Hesitantly, I leaned my head against his shoulder. I felt very comfortable with him, for some strange reason. I'd only known him for less than twenty-four hours.

The next morning, McGee woke up and realized that something felt off. This wasn't his bed and he certainly wasn't used to having something solid and warm lying next to him. "Something solid and warm!" he thought suddenly. He sat up and everything came rushing back to him. Elle had leaned against his shoulder and cried softly for a little while. Before he knew what he was doing, McGee had his arm around her. They must've fallen asleep that way, except now they were both stretched out on the sofa, lying spoon-fashioned. Elle was curled up tight against him, her head resting on his chest lightly. It was going to be awkward when she woke up.


	7. Gibbs' interrogates Harper

_Please note, I accidentally said in Chapter 4 that Lt Rogers was shot in the bedroom, after saying in Chapter 1 that he was killed in the kitchen. He was in fact, shot in the kitchen._

Two minutes later, McGee's cell phone alarm went off, letting him know that it was time to get ready for work. Elle's big eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him with surprise.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed, scrambling off the sofa. "How did this happen?"

"I…have a clue," McGee admitted truthfully. "I think you fell asleep with your head on my shoulder and then…I guess…"

"Um…well, we should get to NCIS, right? Didn't you say that um…Agent Gibbs needed to get a…um…a statement from me?" Elle stammered nervously, desperately trying to figure out how she had ended up sleeping in McGee's arms. It wasn't that it had been anything really inappropriate, but it just hadn't been very professional.

"Yeah, you're right. I've got to…uh, get ready for work."

In half an hour, McGee and Elle were in the car, heading towards the NCIS building. Neither one was speaking to the other. The silence was awkward. Extremely awkward.

McGee stopped to get some coffee at Starbucks and he offered Elle something, but she refused. She seemed too shy now to even look him in the eye. He felt bad about what had happened, but it wasn't anymore his fault as it was hers.

When they arrived at the NCIS building, the rest of the team was already there. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen, but Ziva and Tony were already at their desks.

"You're late, McBodyguard. Gibbs is getting ready to interrogate Harper," Tony commented, raising one eyebrow critically.

"Sorry," McGee apologized. "The line at Starbucks was longer than usual."

"Elle, how are you feeling this morning?" Ziva asked politely, observing that the bruises looked much worse today than they had the night before.

"I'm a little sore, but I'll be okay." Elle gave her a weak, but brave smile.

"Something wrong, Probie?" DiNozzo asked the other male agent.

"No," McGee replied sharply. "I'm fine." He sat down at his desk and set his coffee down with a decided thud.

Ziva noticed that Elle flinched when he did so and that she looked a little sheepish. "You can sit in Gibbs' chair. I don't think he'll mind."

Tony's cell phone rang and he answered it. "Yes, Boss? We're on our way." He hung up, got up and motioned for the rest of the team. "Gibbs wants us in the interrogation room now."

Gibbs was alone in the interrogation room with Harper, whose shoulder had been well-bandaged after he'd been shot by McGee the night before.

"He is a very handsome man," Ziva observed from behind the glass where he couldn't see her.

"Trust me," Elle said. "Once you get to know him a little better, he's a freak." She touched the gash on her forehead and winced a little.

"Wonder how long it will take before Gibbs gets him to confess," Tony wondered aloud. "I give it two minutes, tops."

"Three," McGee countered.

"All right, McProbie, you're on," Tony replied. "It's a bet."

"You're facing time for breaking into Elle's apartment illegally, not to mention the fact that you beat her up."

"She's a real bitch," Harper insisted angrily. "She deserved everything I gave her. I don't regret it for one minute."

"If she's such a bitch, why did you kill her best friend so that the two of you could 'be together'" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Listen, I bought a ring and a house. Elle was going to be set for life, but then she dumped me! She broke my heart! I've been trying to get her back for weeks. And, then she filed that stupid restraining order! And I didn't kill her little buddy!"

"A restraining order means you stay the hell away from her," Gibbs declared angrily. "According to her, you pester her to death. We looked at your phone records and you called her cell phone sixty-four times last week. What'd you do that for?"

"I knew that if we could just talk for a little while, everything would be okay. She would come back to me. I love her more that anything." Harper ran his fingers through his short, dark hair.

"If you love her so much, why did you kill someone she loved?" Gibbs yelled, slamming his fist down on the table with all his strength.

" I didn't kill him!" Harper insisted fervently. "He killed himself! I saw the whole thing!"

Gibbs was momentarily silent, but finally he spoke again. "I'm listening. Start talking."

"I did follow Elle to that guy's house—" Scott began.

"Lieutenant Rogers," Gibbs interrupted.

"Yeah, whatever. I knocked on the door because I wanted to talk to her. Rogers came to the door and he told me to wait while he got Elle. I turned around and the next thing I know, he's got me in a choke-hold and everything went completely black. When I came to, he was splashing water on my face. He made me tie Elle up and put her in the closet."

In the small observation room, Elle was shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "He's lying."

"If he's lying, Gibbs'll know," Tony told her. "Nobody lies to Leroy Jethro Gibbs and gets away with it."

"Then what happened?" Gibbs asked, listening very calmly, his face betraying none of his thoughts.

"I did it, but I didn't want to. Then, he held me at gun-point and took me into the other room. I tried to overpower him and we struggled. I don't know how, but somehow the gun went off a couple of times. He shot himself in the head. I swear it, Agent Gibbs, I DID NOT go there to kill anyone and I would never tie Elle up unless I absolutely had too."

"We'll see," was all Gibbs said as he closed the manila folder and got up. Elle met him in the hallway, her eyes glassy with tears.

"There is no way that that is what happened!" she insisted. "Why would Will do that?"

"We're going to find out," was all Gibbs would tell her.


	8. A shocking discovery

"Ziva, Tony, go back to Lt. Roger's house. See if there is anything we missed. McGee, I want you to call the lieutenant's parents—see if there is anything they can tell us that might be of use," Gibbs rattled off orders to his team.

"Anything about what, Boss?" McGee asked.

"About why their son wanted to tie up her." Gibbs pointed to Elle, who was trailing behind all of them.

"You're not listening to me," she said. "Will couldn't do something like this. He's not capable of trying to frame someone for murder."

"Hey!" Gibbs spoke loudly, making her flinch. "I'm sorry about all this, but I've got to investigate every damn angle! Are we clear?!"

Elle shrank back a little and nodded. "Yes sir, Agent Gibbs."

When Ziva and Tony arrived at the crime scene, the yellow tape was still up and everything was exactly as it had been left.

"Why would Lt. Rogers have done such a terrible thing?" Ziva asked as she and her partner carefully inspected every inch of the living room.

"You sayin' you believe the girlfriend-beater?" DiNozzo asked.

" I do not believe he was lying," Ziva replied simply, searching the cracks of the sofa. Her hand emerged holding a cell phone. "Aha! I wonder who this belongs too."

"The Verizon EnV2," Tony observed as Ziva opened it.

"It belongs to Elle Charlton," she declared. "Let's see if she really did receive the video she claimed to have been watching when she was knocked unconscious." Ziva went to the Message Inbox and sure enough, a received video message was there.

"She was telling the truth," Tony stated.

"So who is lying to us? The evidence, or Scott Harper?"

Gibbs walked down to Abby's lab. She whirled around when she saw him.

"You knew!" she exclaimed.

"Whatd'ya got for me, Abs?" he wanted to know. "I don't have a lot of time."

"I went over the duct tape again, Gibbs, and the pattern of Harper's prints are consistent with him being the one person who tied Elle up."

"I already knew that. He told me himself," Gibbs informed her.

"Give me a little bit more credit than that, Gibbs. I had Ducky swab underneath Lt. Rogers' fingernails and he found skin. I've been running that DNA against every known database and I couldn't find anything, until Scott Harper gave us his DNA this morning. It's a match. If he was having a fight with Lt. Rogers, that might explain how his DNA ended up underneath Rogers' fingernails."

"Good work, Abby," Gibbs commended her.

"Gibbs!" she called after him. "That isn't all I have for you. McGee and I were working on Lt. Rogers computer earlier, but we couldn't find anything on it. However, I was able to see that every day at about 7PM, he inserted a memory stick into his computer and viewed what was on it."

"And that was?" Gibbs asked impatiently, irritated at having to wait for an answer.

"I can't tell you that much, Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed. "But if he was accessing it after 5PM, then I'm guessing it wasn't work related." She turned and typed something into her computer. "Maybe a journal or something like that." She looked back at Gibbs, but he wasn't there.

Upstairs, Elle was sitting in DiNozzo's chair, thinking over everything that had happened. She was having trouble fathoming that Will could have forced Scott to tie her up. Why would he have done such a thing? What could be his reasoning?

"Lt. Rogers kept data on a portable memory stick and he accessed it daily. You got any idea what it was?" Gibbs asked, coming into the bullpen.

Elle looked up. "It was his personal journal. I never read it, but he told me that that's what it was. He kept the memory stick in the drawer beside his bed," she informed him.

Gibbs pulled his cell phone out and dialed Tony's number. "Look in the drawer beside his bed for a memory stick. I need you to get that back to me as soon as possible."

"On it, Boss. Oh, and a neighbor found the murder weapon. It was dropped a few blocks away and they brought it by, thinking it might be pertinent to the case."

"Got it," Gibbs replied. "Get that data back here ASAP." He hung up and walked out of the bullpen again. "I'll be back."

"I don't have any idea what's going on," Elle told McGee sadly. "This is definitely…I don't know who to believe anymore."

"Believe me when I tell you that we will get to the bottom of this," McGee assured her, putting his phone down. He'd just gotten off a call with Lt. Roger's parents. "Now, let me ask you a question. Was Lt. Rogers in love with you?"

"Will? In love with me?" Elle echoed. "That's ridiculous! We were just friends—that's all."

"His mother said he came home last week and got the family diamond; told his parents he was going to finally propose to you, just to see what you said."

Elle half laughed, half choked. "That's insane," she declared. "Propose to me? We weren't even…physically close. He never put his arm around me, even in a friendly manner."

"According to his mother, you were the love of his life. He has been in love with you since he first met you," McGee informed her.

Elle sat back in the chair and let her shoulders slump. "Oh my gosh! All those years…he loved…and he never said a thing. It must've killed him to see me date other guys…no wonder he spent so much time with me. He had his choice of so many other friends—other girls." She covered her eyes with her hand and let out a deep breath. "This is terrible. How could I have been so blind?"

"What happened to the gun?" Gibbs asked, walking into the interrogation room where Harper was being held.

"What gun?" Harper wanted to know.

"The one that Lt. Rogers shot himself with."

"It was in his hand. It stayed there when he fell down," Harper declared.

"Then how come the weapon was discovered three blocks away?

"I…don't know," Harper hesitated a little and Gibbs could see that he was lying. He had a hunch, but he wasn't sure yet if it was genuine or not. He was going to do whatever it took to uncover the truth, however.


	9. Gibbs gets a hunch

"Boss, we've got the memory stick and the murder weapon, or supposed murder weapon," DiNozzo announced, coming into the bullpen and setting his backpack down by his desk.

"Get them to Abby right away," Gibbs ordered. "McGee, help her with the computer files. DiNozzo, you're with me. Ziva, keep an eye on her." He glanced over at Elle who was sitting in a chair, staring off into space.

Downstairs in the lab, Abby pulled prints from the gun while McGee worked on the memory stick. It wasn't hard, since all the files were merely stored on there. Nothing was encrypted or password-protected.

"It looks like Lt. Rogers liked to keep a detailed journal," McGee observed. "This particular one starts over a year ago. He talks about seeing Elle date another guy and how it really upsets him. He wants to tell her how he feels, but he's afraid she'll reject his affections."

"Aww…"Abby cooed. "It's so sweet and sad, just like those Hallmark movies you watch."

"Abby, I only watched one of them and it was simply because there was nothing else on," McGee insisted. He turned back to the computer and continued. "Anyway, so it goes on every day. It's not always about Elle, but there is usually some mention of her. It looks like he was a key fixture in his life. He talks about the family diamond and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, but he knows she doesn't feel the same way."

"What exactly are you thinking here, Boss?" DiNozzo asked as they drove through the city.

"That Scott Harper isn't telling us the truth," Gibbs replied shortly.

"And what makes you think that?" Tony looked a little puzzled as his brain tried to figure out the facts.

"The fact that the gun was dropped several blocks away."

"He got nervous and forgot to leave the gun at the scene." The idea finally became clear to DiNozzo. "He made a mistake and you're hoping we can find something that will incriminate him."

"We're going to talk to his former C.O.," Gibbs announced, turning down a street.

"Agent Gibbs, what can I do for you?" Colonel Thompson asked the grey-haired NCIS agent who was sitting across his desk from him.

"I'm here about a young man who used to be under your command. Private Scott Harper," Gibbs announced.

Thompson leaned back in his leather chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Harper, huh? Born troublemaker. He had problems from the minute he arrived here. We were finally able to get him dishonorably discharged about a year ago."

"Why?" DiNozzo wanted to know.

The Colonel sighed. "He was sexually harassing a female soldier. We tried to put a stop to it, but he persisted, so we filed charges and had him removed from his post."

"Anything else you can tell us?" Gibbs didn't even look up from the notes he was making on his small pad.

"I'm afraid not, Agent Gibbs. Harper mostly kept to himself. He was not well-liked by his fellow Marines."

When everyone was back in the bullpen, they went over their theories.

"So, Harper is either telling the truth, or he is not," Ziva said, more to herself than anyone else.

"What an amazing theory, Agent David," Tony gasped sarcastically. "You're a regular genius. Of course it's one or the other!"

"I think he's lying," McGee declared. "I went through all of Lt. Rogers' journal entries. He was in love with Elle, yes, but desperate enough to…I don't even know what Harper is trying to accuse him of."

Gibbs came in, fresh coffee in hand. He went to sit in his chair, but he found Elle Charlton fast asleep in his desk chair. He turned and looked at McGee, who instantly began making apologies.

"Sorry, Boss. She was asleep before I even knew it."

"Keep a closer eye on her next time, McGee," was all Gibbs said.

"I think McGee has a point," Ziva declared. "Harper's story makes no sense. Why would Lt. Rogers force him to tie up Elle? It's so…"

"…stupid," Tony finished for her.

"I was going to say ridiculous," Ziva snapped, glaring at her partner playfully.

"Boss, what do you think?" McGee wanted to know.

"I agree with Ziva and Tony. Harper's story is stupid, but it's time to figure out how to nail this guy." Gibbs then walked away. He had a hunch that Abby had something for him.

"One…two…three…" Abby counted slowly.

"Whatcha got for me, Abs?" Gibbs asked, walking into her lab and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Gibbs, you are SO good!" Abby exclaimed, whirling around. It took her black pigtails a little while to catch up with her because she turned so fast.

"You got something for me, Abby?" Gibbs said again, handing his Gothic Forensic Scientist a cup of Caf-Pow.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Abby replied smartly, throwing away her empty cup and replacing it's spot with the new one. " Scott Harper has done nothing but tell you a bunch of lies. The only prints on the weapon we found belonged to him. If Lt. Rogers had had the gun, and then they fought over it, I would've found prints from both men on the gun. As it is, however, all Harper has given you has been a load of crap, Gibbs." She looked around for the handsome, older NCIS agent, but he was already gone. He had heard what he needed to hear.  
"It's so creepy when he does that," Abby whispered to herself.

"Abby says that there aren't any prints on the gun except for Harper's," Gibbs announced, coming back into the bullpen.

"So we can prove that he was lying?" Ziva asked.

"Yep," Gibbs replied. "But I've got a plan. McGee, let me see your gun."

McGee looked up strangely. "My gun, Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee. I've got a plan," Gibbs replied, finally getting frustrated at having his chair occupied. He lifted Elle up and put her gently on the floor. She never woke up.


	10. Attempted Murder and Tears

McGee was escorting Scott Harper to the elevator. Scott, wrists cuffed in front, could see Elle at the end to the long hallway. She was talking to a young man, very handsome. It was one of the NCIS agents that he'd seen earlier. Elle was smiling and laughing a little while twirling a strand of her hair absently.

Scott was beginning to get a little riled up at the sight of Elle, his Elle, flirting with another man. What really pushed him over the edge was when she moved closer and put her hand on his arm, laughing flirtatiously.

Elle's POV

"He's coming down the hallway," I told Agent DiNozzo, smiling sweetly up at him.

He laughed as though what I'd said was the cutest thing he'd ever heard. "Good. Keep flirting with me. I mean, I know I'm very attractive, but frankly, this is a little awkward."

I twirled a strand of my hair nervously, and batted my eyelashes up at DiNozzo. "You give yourself far too much credit," I assured him. "Besides, I see you making eyes at Agent David ALL the time." I laughed again and put my hand on his arm, moving a little closer. I could see that jealous gleam in Scott's eyes already.

Elle was right. Harper was getting angry. He had to make her see just how much he loved her. Even getting her best friend out of the way hadn't been enough. She was right here, in front of him, flirting with this NCIS agent. What really pushed him over the edge, though, was when she stood on tip-toe and kissed the dark-haired young man on the cheek lightly. That's when he snapped.

He turned around and easily disarmed and knocked down the slightly out-of-shape Agent McGee, then ran towards Elle.

"Elle!" he yelled. "Get the hell away from that guy! Can't you see, baby? You're supposed to be with me!"

Elle's face froze and turned a deathly shade of white. She saw the gun in his hands and slowly raised hers into the air. The handsome young NCIS agent backed away slowly.

"Listen, Harper," DiNozzo began to talk calmly. "You don't want to do this. Right now all you're being charged with is assault and battery. You don't want to make this worse."

"SHUT UP!" Scott screamed. Elle was only a few feet from him and he could see her trembling. "Elle, you belong with me. What do I have to do to prove that to you?"

"Too many…" Elle swallowed hard. "Too many people stand between us," she told him.

"Nobody stands between us, baby," he assured her. "I got rid of Will. He was going to propose to you—he told me so."

"You…you murdered Will?" Elle whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No. That's impossible." She started backing away from him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Agents Gibbs and David appeared, their weapons drawn. Harper glanced behind him and saw Agent McGee had gotten back to his feet and had pulled out another gun.

"It's over, Harper," Gibbs said simply. "Put the gun down."

"You little bitch," Scott muttered. "You set me up—you knew I'd say I did it."

"Yeah, we did," Gibbs replied.

"How could you, Scott?" Elle whispered. "He was my best friend and you…you just murdered him." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Give it up, Harper," McGee called from behind him. He was fuming at having to play the role of the weak NCIS agent, even though he'd given up without a fight on purpose.

"She ruined my life!" Scott screamed, still aiming his gun at Elle. She was sobbing quietly and backed up against a wall, Gibbs and Ziva on one side of her and Tony on the other. She could see McGee behind Scott. He gave her an encouraging smile and mouthed "it'll be okay," to her. She nodded to him, feeling comforted by his strength.

"We need to end this, Boss," Tony said quietly.

"You want to end all of this?" Harper asked. "I'll end it here and now." He squeezed the trigger but nothing happened. Gibbs had emptied the gun. Elle flinched, thinking of the bullet that would have already ripped through her body by now, had the NCIS agents not planned ahead.

"Let's go, Harper," Tony growled, taking the gun away from him and tossing it to McGee. "I'd say now you're going to be charged with assault and battery, attempted, murder, and homicide. Good luck getting out of those charges." He and Ziva shoved Harper into the elevator and took him downstairs.

Elle's POV

I couldn't believe that Scott had actually tried to shoot me. If it hadn't been for Agent Gibbs, I would have been dead. If he hadn't planned the whole thing, we would never have gotten the confession either. Still, I was shaken and scared. Agent Gibbs headed back to the bullpen, not at all bothered by what had happened.

"You okay?" McGee asked me, holstering his weapons and walking over to me.

I shook my head. "I'm really not sure," I told him honestly.

McGee put a hand on my arm gently. "You did great. Flirting with Tony undercover is hard, I'm sure. I don't know personally, but I'm guessing that it wasn't easy."

I laughed a little and leaned my head against his shoulder. "Thank you, McGee," I whispered. "You've been really sweet to me. Sorry about being mad at you this morning."

McGee grinned. "It'll be out little secret," he assured me.

A little while later, Agent Gibbs came up to me. "Would you like to see Lt. Rogers' body before it's taken to the funeral home?" he asked.

I swallowed hard. "Yes, sir. I would."

He escorted me down to the morgue where I immediately saw Will's body lying on a metal table. My stomach turned at the sight, but I forced myself to walk forward. He looked so calm and peaceful, but it hit me very suddenly that he was dead. It hit me so hard that it felt as though someone had hit me with a baseball bat in the stomach. Gibbs stood back a little ways, letting me have some privacy.

"Oh, Will," I breathed. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't dated that loser…" I took his cold, stiff hand in mine. "If I had just listened to you, then we would be having dinner together right about now." Tears rolled down my cheeks and my nose and eyes smarted painfully.

"There isn't anything you could have done," Gibbs said quietly from behind me. "It isn't your fault."

I turned around, wiping my eyes as I did so. "Really?" I whispered. "Do you think so?"

He nodded. "You've been really brave this whole time. Now c'mon. You don't need to stay down here anymore."

I nodded, then glanced back once more at Will's body. I loved him so much, but only like a sister. "I should have seen that he loved me, Agent Gibbs. I should have realized that he wanted to be closer." When I turned, I found him very close and suddenly, I was sobbing into his jacket and he had his arms around me protectively.


	11. A Kiss and a Phone Call

Later that day, as the sun sank in the West, I said goodbye to the NCIS agents who had been so friendly to me over the last few days. Agent Gibbs, especially, had let me soak part of his shirt earlier down in the morgue. The agent I really wanted to see again, however, was McGee. He wasn't stunningly good-looking like Agent DiNozzo, but he was sweet and gentle. He had helped me so much over the past seventy-two hours and I didn't want to say goodbye.

"Thanks for everything, Agent Gibbs," I told him, shaking his hand firmly. "I appreciate it."

"Let us know if you need anything," he insisted sincerely. "We're here for you."

"I will." On an impulse, I stood on tip-toe and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you again."

After hugging Agent David and Agent DiNozzo, McGee walked me to the elevator. I tried to go slowly, thinking of exactly what to say.

"McGee…"I began, still unsure of what to tell him. There were so many things I wanted to say, but nothing seemed right. Finally, I turned and pressed my mouth against his very lightly.

When I pulled back, he seemed somewhat stunned, but not angry. "What was that for?" he wanted to know.

"I just wanted to show my gratitude," I whispered, slipping a small piece of paper into his hand and then getting into the elevator. "I'll see you soon, McGee!" I called to him as the doors closed.

Tony was in total disbelief. "Why does McGee get the kiss from the hot chick?" he asked Ziva.

"Well, she did spend a lot of time with him during the investigation. It is not surprising that she feels somewhat indebted to him," Ziva pointed out.

"Enough to give him a kiss goodbye?" Tony continued. He just couldn't figure it out.

"She kissed me goodbye, too, DiNozzo," Gibbs spoke up.

"Yeah. Not quite the same thing, Boss."

McGee came walking into the bullpen, smiling from ear-to-ear. "Well, I've got her number now." He held up a piece of white paper with Elle's number written on it. "Looks like something good may come out of this case after all."

"This is so not fair!" Tony exclaimed. "Why do you get the girl?"

"Maybe because he's sincere," Ziva said thoughtfully.

Tony clutched his chest as if in pain. "That hit me hard, David. That wasn't fair."

Ziva smiled back at him smugly.

Elle's POV

That night, after I showered and changed clothes, I drove out to they neighborhood where Will and I had grown up. I needed to see his parents and explain what had happened, since I knew they would be waiting for answers anxiously.

When I knocked on the door, Mrs. Rogers was the one who opened it wide. "Oh, Elle," she gasped. "I'm so glad to see you." She hugged me close and tried not to cry. "We've been so worried about you."

I nodded, trying to manage something that resembled a smile. It didn't work. My efforts were futile. "I came…because I thought you'd be interested in knowing what happened," I told her.

"Come on in. James is in the living room, watching the news. He'll be glad to see you as well."

I followed her through the house where I'd spend a great deal of my teenage years. Everything was so familiar and everything reminded me of Will. It was the saddest part of this whole experience. And now, I had to tell his parents that the reason he was killed was because of me….

"You mean that that guy you used to date, the one Will couldn't stand, is the one who murdered our son?" Mr. Rogers exclaimed as soon as I'd begun explaining everything.

"I'm afraid so," I replied, shrinking back against the leather arm chair a little.

"As I recall correctly, Will tried to warn you about him—said he wasn't anything but trouble, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. That's the same guy."

"How could you do this, Elle? How could you let this happen?!" Mr. Rogers was furious now and I was scared and hurt. I hadn't expected them to lay the full blame on me.

"I didn't think that there was anything wrong with Scott," I assured them. "And, at the time, I felt that all Will's concerns were unwarranted. I realize now, however, that they weren't."

"Isn't it a little late for that?" Will's father thundered, standing over me threateningly.

"I'm sure she didn't mean for this to happen, James," Mrs. Rogers said quietly from the sofa. She was crying into a handkerchief, but she wasn't too upset to speak up for me.

"He loved you!" Mr. Rogers yelled. "He loved you and you never, never gave him the slightest bit of hope!"

I stood up, my knees weak and my hands trembling. "I think it's time for me to go," I said quietly, trying to be brave.

Without another word, I walked to the foyer, picked up my bag and keys, then left, never planning to return. I felt as though someone had crushed what little bit of life I had left in me, which hadn't been much anyway.

I got in my car and drove away, tears streaming down my cheeks. My heart was breaking, truly breaking. My life was crumbling into a million minuscule fragments. Finally, I pulled over and broke down over the steering wheel, unable to drive because my eyes were blinded by tears.

Suddenly, my cell phone started to ring quietly from inside my purse. I reached into the bag, searched around for it, and then pulled it out. The Caller ID told me who it was and I felt and immediate since of security and relief. It was McGee.


	12. Dinner and sadness

"Hello?" I answered the phone, hoping that my voice wouldn't betray my emotions at the moment.

"Elle? It's McGee. You okay? You sound upset," he told me. Damn! All my efforts to sound normal had failed.

"No, I'm not okay," I whispered. "I just went to see Will's parents and they…they blame me for his murder because I didn't listen when he told me that Scott was bad news." Rain began pouring down on my windshield and I leaned my head into the palm of my hand.

"It wasn't your fault, Elle," McGee assured me. "We all do things we wish we could take back, but we can't."

I sobbed quietly. " I'm not sure how to go on with my life, McGee," I declared. "I spent so much time with him. He was my best friend."

"Where are you, Elle? Are you at your apartment? I hear the rain in the background."

"I'm in a neighborhood in Alexandria. I went to see Will's parents, but I pulled over because I…I am too upset to drive right now."

"Tell me where you are. I'll come pick you up," McGee offered.

I shook my head. "No, you don't need to do that."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

I gave McGee the address of the house I was parked in front of and he promised to be there shortly. I hung up and tossed the phone back in my purse, then slowly pulled it out again. The last text message I had received had been from Will.

**Will: I got the movie Movie Gallery. Going home now. See you at 6. Did **

**You get the candy?**

I choked on a sob. What was my life supposed to be without Will? Our lives had revolved around each other so much. Who was I supposed to watch movies with now? Who would come over to my house on Monday nights to watch "24", the show that Will and I loved? My entire weekly schedule was screwed up now.

It occurred it me that I should have seen that Will was in love with me. Sure, I had always thought he was really attractive, but we had grown up together. He was too much like my brother for me to date.

A Porsche Boxter pulled up behind me and my mouth dropped open. It had never occurred to me that McGee drove such a nice car. I grabbed my bag and my jacket, then hopped out into the rain and ran towards his car.

When I got in, I felt like I was leaving a watermark on his nice leather interior. "Hey," I said quietly.

"Hey," McGee replied. There was a awkward moment of silence, but then the NCIS agent spoke again. "I'm going to take you to get some dinner, unless you've eaten already."

I shook my head, my wet hair plastering to my face a little. "I haven't eaten, no."

McGee moved to put the car into gear, but suddenly I caught his arm.

"I can't let you do this, McGee," I declared. "I know I'm being a wimp, but I just can't help it…" I broke down again, but was able to recover quickly. " I just don't know how to deal with this. I'm sorry."

"You're not being a wimp," he assured me. "I've lost someone close to me before too. It's not easy to deal with."

I shook my head, making the hair stick to my cheeks again. "I just hate being all alone."

McGee smiled comfortingly. "I'm right here, Elle. And I'm taking you to dinner, whether you like it or not."

McGee drove to a nice little Italian restaurant in D.C. and asked for a table for two. Elle went into the bathroom and ran a brush through her hair, put on some lip gloss, and wiped off some of her smudged eyeliner. She looked like crud, but she wasn't sure how to make any difference. All her makeup was at her house and, honestly, she didn't really care.

"You look a little better," McGee told her when she came back to the table.

Elle tried to smile a little. "Thanks. This is really sweet of you, bringing me here and all. I really needed a friend tonight."

McGee felt good, even though he could see how upset Elle was. She looked rough, especially with the gash on her forehead still stitched up. All around the wound was somewhat bruised. Despite all of that, she was still beautiful.

"I'm just glad I called when I did.," McGee told her. "You shouldn't drive when you're so upset."

After we ordered, McGee asked if I wanted to talk about what had happened.

I sighed. "I don't know what to say, McGee. I never thought that Will's family would actually blame me for what happened. I thought that we…we would be able to mourn together."

"Why did they blame you? You were tied up in the—well, you know. You didn't do anything wrong."

I shook my head, rubbing my eyes wearily. " See, Will warned me about Scott. He had some buddies who knew him—knew his reputation. He was a bit of a player, I guess, but I fell for him. Fell for his lies." My face fell. I was ashamed to admit that I'd actually loved that murderer for a little while.

"Everybody makes mistakes sometimes," McGee told me. I saw him almost reach across the table for my hand, then catch himself. Right now, even though I liked McGee a lot, I didn't need to be thinking about a new relationship. I was, though.

"But I made the mistake of a lifetime." I let my shoulders sink again. "I got my best friend killed."


	13. Violated

The waitress brought our drinks and a basket of breadsticks, interrupting our conversation.

"You guys ready to order?" she asked, pulling out a notepad.

"Go ahead, Elle," McGee told me.

I glanced at the menu for the first time since it had been handed to me. "No, you go ahead. I'm still not sure what I want."

McGee ordered a plate of regular spaghetti with meat sauce and I just handed the menu to the waitress and told her I'd have the same thing. I didn't want to think about picking out anything off the menu.

When she was gone, I continued. "Will was the greatest best friend anybody could have, you know—like a once in a lifetime best friend. We did everything together. I still just can't figure out how he loved me for so long and I never saw it. He never tried to put his arm around me and hugs were just awkward for us. Why didn't he ever say anything?"

"Would you have liked for him to have said something?" McGee wanted to know.

"Yeah—no! I don't know! It might've made things awkward between us, but I don't know. I can't imagine Will being anything but my nerdy, handsome best friend. Do you have anyone like that?" I asked him, looking up at the NCIS agent.

"Yeah, kinda. Our forensic scientist, Abby, and I used to date about four or five years ago. Now we're great friends, but it would be weird if we ever started dating again," McGee admitted.

I nibbled on a breadstick absently and sipped my diet coke slowly. "I just wish I hadn't found out after he died. I just wish he hadn't died at all." Suddenly, I looked up at McGee sharply. "Do you think I'll ever forget him? My dog died three years ago and I can barely remember him anymore. I don't want Will to become just a photograph beside my bed."

McGee wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

After dinner, McGee drove me back to my car and then followed me back to my apartment. I got out of my car in front of the complex and so did he.

"Thank you for coming tonight, McGee," I told him, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket. "It was really sweet."

McGee smiled and I could swear he was blushing. "It was nothing."

"No. It was something. I needed someone and you were there for me. Most NCIS agents wouldn't work overtime on a case that had already been solved." I gave him my best smile.

"Most of our victims aren't beautiful blondes," McGee admitted. He cursed himself the moment the words came out. It sounded like something Tony would have said.

"I'd like to see you again soon, McGee," I told him. "But you have my number and it's up to you."

"Oh trust me, I'll call you again." He leaned in and kissed my cheek lightly. "I hope you feel better soon. Call me whenever you need to—I'm happy to help."

I got inside and looked in the mirror next to my front door. I barely recognized the girl in the glass. My hair was straggly and my eyes had dark circles underneath them. I suddenly realized how exhausted I was. My bed was looking extremely inviting, so I slipped into an old pair of cheerleading shorts and a sports bra, then slid in between the sheets.

Not long after sleep claimed me, I began to have the worst nightmare I'd ever had….

_My wrists were bound tightly and I couldn't tell exactly where I was. Something was stuffed in my mouth and I couldn't get it out. I tried to kick and scream, but I couldn't manage to make any noise. It was like I was kicking at air, all around me. I could hear fighting and then a gunshot. I tried to scream again, but nothing would come out. _

_Suddenly, light surrounded me and I could see Scott's face, his dark eyes gleaming wickedly. I shook my head and tried to get away from him, but I was helpless. He grabbed me by my hair and began dragging me through the bedroom. I didn't see Will anywhere, but Scott threw me on the bed and began fumbling with the buttons on my shirt._

I woke up with a start, a cold sweat drenching my clothes and the sheets around me. I was sobbing unconsciously and my heart was pounding inside my chest. The dream had felt so real and it made began to wonder if maybe…I didn't even want to think about what Scott might've done to me. Had he…raped me? I moaned and fell back against the pillow, sobbing again. I felt so violated, so vulnerable.

The next morning, I went to the Emergency Room and told them what had happened to me recently. They checked and then came back and gave me the bad news. Scott had indeed raped me while I was unconscious. I held in my emotions until I got into the car. Then, I broke down. Scott had violated me. He had ruined me. I was damaged. I was a victim.

The next night, I was awakened by nightmares again. I ached for someone to comfort me, tell me that it was all going to be okay. But, at the same time, I was afraid of being near anyone. I didn't want anyone to know what had happened to me. To know what Scott had done to me. I wanted to call McGee. I wanted McGee to call me and tell me things were going to get better.

Two days after I the nightmares began and I found out what Scott had done to me, I went to a coffee shop early one morning. Caffeine was the only thing keeping me awake. I hadn't slept in three days and I felt weaker than when I'd had the flu for a week. I carried a book with me, but while I was sitting at the table, drinking my coffee, I dozed off over the book.

McGee had just picked up his cup of coffee from the counter when he saw a familiar blonde head leaning over a table, the long hair flung out over the table. He thought for a moment that it looked a lot like Elle Charlton, but he wasn't positive. But, when he saw the purple designer handbag hanging on the back of the chair, he realized that it _was _her.

"Elle?" McGee put his hand on her shoulder, nearly scaring her to death. She jumped and knocked her coffee over.

"Damn it!" she swore loudly, catching the attention of many of the coffee shop's customers who enjoyed their early morning quiet.

"Elle, it's okay," McGee assured her, grabbing some napkins and sopping up the spilt beverage. "It's okay. I cleaned it up, see?"

Elle looked up and McGee and suddenly, she bolted, running from the coffee shop as fast as she could, not even bothering to take her book and purse.

"Elle!" McGee called, running after her. "Stop! What's wrong?!"

I ran down two blocks to where my car was parked, then realized that my keys were still in my bag at the coffee shop. I turned around and found myself face-to face with McGee.


	14. A Shoulder to Cry On

"Elle, what's wrong?" McGee wanted to know, putting his arms around me.

I pulled away from him, frightened by any touch. "Nothing. Leave me alone, McGee. Just please, go away now!" I pushed past him and headed towards the coffee shop but he caught my hand gently.

"Let me help, Elle," he said softly. Softly and tenderly.

I looked into his green eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and concern. It melted my resolve to stay away from people.

"McGee, can we go somewhere quiet?" I whispered. "I need to talk to someone. I need to talk to you."

McGee nodded. "Yeah, there's a little park near here where I go sometimes. C'mon." He put his arm around me protectively and this time I didn't push him away.

As we walked a few blocks to the park, I kept my face buried in McGee's jacket, clinging to him with fear. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey Boss, it's McGee. I'm gonna be late this morning. I have to take care of someone—something!" he corrected quickly. "It's important. It's an important _something._"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Elle, would it McGee?" Gibbs wanted to know on the other end of the line.

"Uh…yeah, it might, Boss. Look, this is something I really need to do right now. I'll be in as soon as I can."

"Take your time, McGee," Gibbs told him. McGee somehow got the impression that he was smiling on the other end of the call.

When we got to the park, McGee sat me down on a bench beside a small creek. It was quiet and secluded, since most people were at work this time of day.

"What's wrong, Elle?" McGee wanted to know. "You can tell me."

I shook my head. "I don't know, McGee. It's embarrassing. It's awful." I let a sob escape and he pulled me close again. It seemed instinctive to him, holding me.

"I promise, your secret will be safe with me," he assured me, stroking my hair tenderly.

"Scott…he…while I was unconscious, he…" I couldn't finish the sentence before I burst into tears. "Oh, McGee," I sobbed, sliding my arms around his neck. "I feel so…ruined. So violated."

McGee's arms tightened around me immediately. "Oh, Elle, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

I felt him kiss the top of my head and part of me rejected the gesture, but the other part told me that McGee definitely didn't mean anything sinister by the simple, affectionate kiss. "I can't sleep at night. I have these awful nightmares and everyone is worse than the other. I'm so scared!"

McGee's hand ran up and down my back lightly in a soothing pattern. I snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth and security of his embrace. "We can get you some help, Elle. There are people you can talk too about things like this."

I looked up at him sharply. "No, McGee. I don't want to talk to anyone but you. I don't want anyone, not _anyone_ else but you too know about this. It's our secret, all right?"

McGee nodded. "All right, Elle. Our secret."

I leaned my head against his chest again, closing my eyes and sighing weakly. "What would you say if I asked you to come see me…a lot? To come see me a lot?"

"I wouldn't mind that at all, Elle," McGee told me, kissing my forehead lightly. "I'd enjoy it. I just wish we hadn't met the way we did."

"Me too," I whispered wearily.

McGee walked me back to the coffee shop where they had put my book and purse behind the counter, then he took me to my car, keeping his arm around me the whole time.

"You need to get some rest, Elle," he told me, cupping my face in his as we stood by my car. "It's not safe for you to be driving when you're this sleepy."

"I know, but I have to get my caffeine somehow," I insisted. "I have to find a way to stay awake. I bought three cases of Red Bull last night at Target and I've already finished off one."

"I'm coming over tonight and we're going to cook dinner and then you're going to get some sleep, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Whatever you say, McGee."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead again. "You're going to get through this , Elle," he declared. "I promise. You're going to get better very soon."

When McGee arrived at the office, Tony and Ziva were working at their desks, doing paperwork.

"Line at the coffee shop, McStarbucks?" Tony wanted to know, looking at McGee suspiciously.

"Not exactly," Timothy replied demurely. His mind was far away.

"Then where were you?" Ziva asked. She and Tony got up and walked over to McGee's desk, surrounding him.

"I was talking to a friend," McGee told them.

"You were with Elle, weren't you?" Tony deduced wisely. "She cry on your shoulder a little?"

McGee glared up at them. "Tony, she's been through a lot. Maybe she needs a shoulder to cry on."

"So you were with her?" Ziva pressed him.

"Yes, I was with her. Are you happy now? We saw each other at the coffee shop this morning."

"Your shirt looks a little wrinkled, McOprah," Tony remarked. "So, what'd she say to you today?"

"We had a private discussion, Tony," McGee insisted. "I'm not telling you what we talked about."

"Is she all right, McGee?" Gibbs asked, walking into the bullpen.

"Not yet, Boss. She's very scared right now," McGee told him, feeling like he could trust Gibbs with this information.

"You better help her out then." Gibbs looked McGee directly in the eye and McGee suddenly felt like a huge responsibility had been put on his shoulders.

"I plan to, Boss. I'm going over to her house tonight. She hasn't slept in over three days, she said. I'm worried about her."

At the end of the day, Tony and Ziva left, together as always. McGee watched them go, then walked over to Gibbs' desk.

"Boss, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, McGee," was Gibbs short reply.

"Elle was raped by Harper. She told me today and she's terrified. I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, but I don't think she'd mind you knowing. She doesn't want to talk to anyone about it, except me. Any ideas on how to deal with it?"

"Don't make her feel like a victim. That's the last thing she'll want."

McGee nodded. "No victimizing. Got it. Anything else?"

"Only stay with her if you care. Don't break her heart." Gibbs looked up at McGee again sharply.


	15. You Cry Your Eyes Out!

When McGee arrived at my apartment, I opened the door wide and gave him a brave smile.

"I'm glad you came," I told him. "I was worried you would forget.

McGee leaned in and kissed my cheek lightly. "Of course I wouldn't forget, Elle," he assured me, hanging his coat up on the rack in the foyer.

I closed the door behind him, still able to feel where his lips had touched my skin. It was a pleasant, almost burn-like sensation, something I'd never felt before.

McGee couldn't help but notice that Elle was wearing a black running skirt and a thin tank-top over a green sports bra. She looked small, but muscular. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. The only makeup she was wearing was a little eyeliner and some blush, but she looked beautiful, despite the gash that was stitched up on the side of her face.

"I thought maybe we could order pizza, so neither of us have to cook," McGee suggested.

"Hmm…okay. I have the number for Domino's on the fridge," I replied. "And, I have a favor to ask. Today, I was alphabetically organizing my movies, and I came across "Oklahoma!" Would you kill me if I said I wanted to watch it?"

McGee grinned boyishly. "Nah, it's fine with me. I've never told anyone, but I kinda like a world where everyone sings and dances. Of course, if I told Tony and Ziva that, they'd think I was gay."

"Well, you're keeping my secret, so I'll keep yours. Oh, and for the record, McGee, I don't think you're gay."

When the pizza came, Elle brought plates, napkins, and two canned drinks into the living room while McGee slid the DVD into the player. The medium Pepperoni pizza was on the coffee table and the smell was filling the small apartment.

After they'd eaten, the film continued to play and McGee could hear Elle quietly singing along with the songs. When the Curly sang about the shiny surrey with the fringe on top, Elle leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm glad you're here, McGee," I whispered, slipping my hand into his and leaning against him.

He leaned his head against the top of mine and I felt my heart skip a beat. Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been afraid of having anyone touch me at all, but now I was the one who was getting closer to McGee. I wasn't scared of him like I was of every other guy I passed on the street.

When Laurey started crying in Curly's arms, I suddenly felt inspired. I knew what I wanted. I wanted McGee to kiss me. To kiss me the way Curly was going to kiss Laurey.

"Well, you just cry your eyes out," Curly told Laurey, holding her in his arms tightly.

McGee thought about earlier when Elle had been so close to him, crying into his collar. It reminded him of the scene in this scene in "Oklahoma!" He looked down at Elle, trying to decide if he wanted to kiss her or not. Elle looked up at him too, her blue eyes full of emotion that he couldn't translate.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered to him.

"Well here, I'll show you," McGee whispered back, leaning close and pressing his lips against mine.

I sighed, letting my eyes close slowly as my arms slid around McGee's neck as he pulled me closer and slid his own arms around my waist.

Before I even realized it, our bodies seemed to have melted together and we were making out like two teenagers. Nothing had ever felt so good before in my life. So sweet and tender. Every kiss was better than the last.

"I believe that's about all a man can take in public," McGee whispered as we both gasped for oxygen.

I laughed a little, somewhat shakily. My heart was pounding in my chest and, because my hand was resting lightly on McGee's chest, I could feel his beating heavily as well.

"You look tired," McGee told me. "You should get some rest."

"Will you stay right here and hold me while I fall asleep?" I asked, looking up at him with my big, blue eyes.

McGee cupped my face in one of his hands. "I wouldn't leave you alone here, Elle."

McGee and I cuddled up the same way we had awakened on the morning I'd stayed at his apartment—spoon-fashioned. There wasn't anything inappropriate about it, but I wanted him close. The idea of doing _anything _else never crossed my mind. It was as innocent as Laurey and Curly kissing in "Oklahoma!", which was still playing softly in the background. I rested my head on McGee's chest and closed my eyes drowsily. I could feel his heart beating softly against my cheek and, somehow, I knew that everything was going to be all right. Life would go on. And I hoped that McGee would be in that future life to hold me.

The nightmares came soon that night, sooner than I had expected. In the midst of the same dream that I had had over and over, I felt someone shaking me. Suddenly, I opened my eyes and found McGee looking down at me anxiously.

"Elle, are you okay?" he asked.

I shook my head. "It's like this every night—sometimes more than once a night. I can't sleep. During the day, all I can see is that nightmare playing over and over in my head. He may be going to prison, McGee, but Scott Harper will always haunt me. What he did to me will always haunt me."

Elle got up off the sofa and headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water. McGee followed her cautiously, remembering what Gibbs had told him about not making Elle feel like the victim.

"Would you like to tell me about it?" he asked.

Elle filled a glass at the faucet and shrugged. "It doesn't sound so scary when I say it out loud. But when I'm dreaming it, I'm helpless. I can't move or make any noise. I try to yell for help every time, but it doesn't do any good. He still hurts me, every time." She wiped her wet eyes and sank to the floor, exhausted and sobbing.

"I can't stop crying," I told McGee as he sat down beside me. "There can't be any tears left in me to cry."

The NCIS agent put his arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, Elle. You've got to get it all out sometime. And, sooner rather than later, in my opinion."


	16. Gibbs Always Understands

McGee held Elle for a long time, right there on the kitchen floor, their backs against the cabinets and her in his arms. He had never felt this way before. Nobody ever needed McGee for help. He wasn't tall, dark, and handsome like Tony. He was quiet and mysteriously sexy like his Boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He was simply Timothy McGee, the team Probie. His sister was the only person he could ever remember holding onto him like this. The only person he could ever remember needing him like this.

McGee tightened his hold around Elle a little, still hearing the occasional sob from her. "Shhh…" he whispered. "It's all right. I'm here."

When her breathing became regular, he knew she was asleep. He also knew that if they stayed right there on the kitchen floor, they'd be stiff in the morning. Carefully, he lifted her into his arms, carried her into the bedroom, and eased her down on the bed. She made a quiet noise in her sleep, then rolled over and sighed.

A blanket was lying across the end of the bed and McGee spread it up over her, then went back to the couch to go to sleep himself. He hadn't planned on staying there all night, but Elle needed him and he was going to do whatever it took to help her get through all this.

I woke up the next morning, lying on my bed, which wasn't where I remembered falling asleep. Someone had spread a quilt up over me and I suddenly remembered that McGee had been there when I fell asleep. I looked at the clock and saw that it said 10:30AM.

"Damn!" I swore, hopping out of the bed. I had to be at work by 11:30AM. My boss had only agreed to give me a week off. He needed me to work.

In the kitchen, there was a note on the counter.

_Elle, you were sleeping so well, so I didn't want to wake you up. I'll talk to you soon, but right now I have to get to work, or Gibbs will have my head! Have a good day! McGee._

I hurried through a shower, drying my hair, applying the bare essentials of makeup, getting dressed, and then getting into my car to head to Barnes and Noble, where I worked.

For six months now, since I'd graduated college, I'd been trying to write the great American novel. So far, I'd had no luck. My job paid just enough to cover the bills and a few luxuries now and then. My writing just hadn't been flowing lately. If occurred to me as I tried to miss the busy morning traffic that maybe I should write about what had been going on.

"Elle, you look terrible? Are you sure you're ready to come back to work, honey?" Sylvia, the manager of the local B&N asked me.

"I'm just having trouble sleeping. Don't worry though, I think I found something that helps," I assured her, thinking of McGee's kisses and arms tight around me.

"You takin' some of those sleepin' pills, sweetheart?" she wanted to know. "Those things are addictive!"  
"No, it's not exactly a pill," I said uneasily, not wanting anyone to know about McGee just yet. Everyone that I worked with knew Will from him coming to see me there on occasion.

"Well, you just take it easy."

About that time, a customer came up to the desk. "I'm looking for a copy of Deep Six, by Thom E. Gemcity," she told me. "Can you tell me where that is?"

I offered to show her and she followed me like an obedient dog. "Have you read this book before?" I asked her.

"No, but someone was recommending it. My neighbor, I think, said it was excellent," the woman replied.

"Well, she was right," I assured her. "It's worth every penny. I love it! I own two copies and I read it at least once every two months! The writer's style of expressing his characters is amazing!"

"Well, thank you for your help," she looked at my nametag, "Elle. Maybe I'll come back in and let you know how I liked it."

That afternoon, as I took a break and sipped a fruit smoothie at the Starbucks inside the store, I checked my phone. McGee had sent me two text messages.

**McGee: Hey, hope you are having a good day. We're headed out on a case. **

**McGee: So, I was hoping I'd get to see you today, but Gibbs is gonna have us **

** working late tonight...bad case. Call you later?**

I smiled to myself. Sweet McGee. Then I cursed myself. How could I be thinking so fondly of McGee when Will had just been killed. His funeral was tomorrow afternoon and his visitation was tonight. I'd seen the obituary in the paper, which was the only way I'd find out, since his parents wouldn't talk to me anymore. Suddenly, a voice in my head asked, "wouldn't Will want you to be happy?" I smiled again. That little voice in my head was right.

**Elle: I'm doing okay. Yes, you can call me. Tonight is visitation for Will and **

** then I'm thinking bout going home and writing some. I hope your case **

** is solved quickly. **

I closed my phone and headed back to work.

At five o'clock, I headed home to change for visitation, hoping I wouldn't lose the nerve I'd gotten up to go. My main concern was seeing Will's parents again. I didn't want to cause a scene at the funeral home.

"McGee, isn't Lt. Rogers' visitation tonight?" Gibbs asked, walking into the bullpen at five-thirty.

"Um...yes, Boss. Why?" McGee replied, wondering what Gibbs' motive for asking was.

"Don't you think you should be there with Elle? I'd say she's gonna need you."

"But...you said we had to work late," McGee said uncertainly.

"Tony and Ziva can do your work," Gibbs told him. "Get going."


	17. Lots of Surprises

I got to the funeral home and saw that the parking lot was already crowded. I sat in my Camry for a few minutes, trying to find the nerve to go inside. Surely with all the people inside, I could manage to hide from Will's parents.

Finally, I got out of the car and started walking towards the funeral home. I got to the door and suddenly, McGee was standing beside me.

"McGee!" I exclaimed, surprised at seeing him there. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might not want to be alone for this," McGee told me, putting his hand lightly on my arm.

I smiled at him the best I could. "Thank you, McGee. You're right."

As we made our way inside, I slipped my hand into McGee's, wanting to feel the strength that he seemed to give me. He squeezed it gently and stayed very close to my side. The funeral house was crowded inside and I saw many people I recognized, but I kept my head down, hoping nobody would recognize me.

"Elle!" one of Will's buddies exclaimed loudly, seeing me next to him. "I'm so sorry about Will!" He pulled me into a tight hug and I winced, since my body was still sore from the beating I'd taken from Scott.

"Hey, easy," McGee cautioned him. "She's a little bruised already."

"Sorry, Elle," Matt apologized, letting go of me suddenly. "Boy, we were really sorry to hear about what happened. Heard you were there when it happened, too, and that it was that no good Scott Harper who pulled the trigger.

It occurred to McGee that this guy, Matt, was talking a little to loud about the tragic event that had taken place. Now was a time to mourn, not discuss Lt. Rogers' murder.

"Say, will you come with me for a minute?" Matt asked me. "Without your..."he gave McGee a once-over, "...friend."

I looked at McGee and he nodded that it was okay to go. "I guess so," I replied demurely, not wanting to attract anymore attention.

Matt pulled me out of the building and around the side of the funeral house. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by at least five or six Marines, all of whom I knew through my friendship with Will.

"What's going on?" I demanded to know, a little frightened for some reason.

"We want to know exactly how Will died and why you didn't do anything to help him," Matt growled. Suddenly, I realized that they were all angry. More than angry. They wanted revenge.

"I was knocked unconscious," I told them. "Now, I'm going back inside." I tried to break through, but one of them grabbed the sides of my arms and shoved me back into the middle.

"You're not going anywhere until you answer our questions," another guy almost shouted.

"Oh! Where was McGee when I needed him?" I wondered to myself. "Surely you don't blame me for what happened to Will!" I exclaimed.

"You were there and he's dead. Besides, we all know that he tried to warn you about Scott Harper!" Matt yelled. "It's your fault that Will's dead!" He reached out and backhanded me across the right cheek.

"Hit her again and I'll arrest every one of you," McGee said from behind all of the men. I looked and saw that he had his gun drawn and was bravely facing six tough, well-built Marines.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Matt demanded to know.

"Special Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS," McGee informed him.

"You're NCIS?" one of the other guys echoed nervously. "Damn! You didn't say she had a bodyguard with her, Matt! You'll get us all arrested!"

"Elle, c'mon. Let's get out of here." McGee held out a hand to me and I walked freely through the men and stood behind him.

"If any of you so much as tries to lay another finger on her, I'll have every one of you court-martialed," McGee vowed. "Elle Charlton is not to blame for Lt. Rogers' death. Now, leave her alone, or you'll have me and an entire team of NCIS agents to deal with."

I watched from behind McGee and saw genuine fear in the eyes of the six Marines. Being court-martialed was something that every Marine feared. I was still scared, though. Why did everyone insist on blaming me for Will's death? Didn't anyone worry about what Scott had done to me?

McGee finally holstered his weapon and then put his arm around me protectively. "C'mon, Elle." He started walking me away from them towards the cars.

When we got in my car, I let out a deep breath and ran my hands through my long hair. "I'm glad you came tonight, McGee," I told him shakily, glancing over at him sweetly.

"Me too!" McGee agreed, catching my eye and looking at me strangely. Suddenly, he leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips, taking my breath away.

"Not here, McGee," I whispered. " I have to honor Will's memory, so just not here, okay?"

"Okay," he replied quietly. "I'm sorry."

We decided to go back to my apartment for a couple of hours and then McGee would head back to the office to take care of some work. I called the nearby Chinese restaurant and ordered us some food to be delivered. McGee had gone home to change into some more comfortable clothes and while I waited on him to arrive, I pulled out some notebook paper and began to write about what had happened. The words came in a rush and in no time at all, I had the whole narrative down on paper, including the part where McGee kissed me and held me close.

When I was finished with that, I pulled out my favorite novel, Deep Six , and began thumbing through it, reading my favorite parts that I'd highlighted months ago. All of a sudden, something hit me with a hard force. The story was about L.J. Tibbs, Tommy ,Lisa, and McGregor... It sounded a lot like L.J. Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, and McGee. Surely not, though! That was crazy. I was just imagining things.

When the doorbell rang, I came out of my reverie with a start, gasping. "Coming," I called, hopping up out of my chair.

I opened the door and found McGee standing there in jeans and an NCIS tee shirt.

"You like that book?" he asked me, seeing the hardback novel in my hands.

I laughed. "Oh, yes! It's my favorite novel _ever_!"

McGee grinned. "Can I show you something?"

I nodded, inviting him in. "Go right ahead."

He walked to the kitchen counter where all my papers were stacked and my pencil was lying. He wrote his name out, "Timothy McGee" and then I watched in disbelief as he took the letters from his name and wrote "Thom E. Gemcity."

My mouth dropped open. "You wrote Deep Six?" 

McGee grinned even wider. "Yeah, I did."


	18. Why? Why Did you take him from me?

I swallowed again and looked at McGee, then back at the two names on the piece of paper, and then finally at the novel next to my hand.

"Do you believe me yet?" McGee asked, folding his hands across his chest in frustration.

"It isn't that I don't believe you, McGee," I assured him. "I just can't figure out how my favorite book happens to be written by you, the NCIS agent who saved my life a week ago." I ran my fingers through my hair again.

McGee reached across the table and took my hand in his gently. "I guess now I've got a new story for MacGregor," he told me, smiling and raising his eyebrows in a question.

I grinned and laughed—a genuine, bubbly laugh. "Yes I agreed. "He does."

After we quickly ate the Chinese food I had ordered, McGee said he had to get back to work. I walked him to the door and tried not to think about how much I wanted him to kiss goodbye.

He walked down the hallway a little ways, then turned around, took me in his arms, and kissed me passionately. It took me a minute to respond, but then I wrapped my arms around his neck and sighed happily. I shouldn't feel this good so soon after Will's death, but I did right now.

"Goodnight," McGee whispered, finally breaking away from me when we were both breathless. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye, McGee," I breathed, leaning weakly against the doorframe.

When McGee got back to the office, he walked in whistling the tune of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma!

DiNozzo, who had dozed off on top of his keyboard, woke up with a start. "On it, Boss," he mumbled drowsily.

"Relax, Tony," Ziva told him. "It is only McGee."

Tony perked up quickly. "You seem awfully happy," he remarked to the newly arrived agent. "What happened between you two?"

Timothy shrugged and sat down at his desk calmly. "Oh, nothing really."

"You're whistling a song from  Oklahoma! , McMusic-Man. I'd say somebody is happy!" DiNozzo stood up and eyed his friend warily. "Did you get up the nerve to actually...say goodnight?"

"If you really must know, Tony, I kissed her goodbye," McGee finally gave it.

"You kissed her?" Ziva echoed in disbelief, getting up very quickly. "Did she kiss you back?"

McGee rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ziva, she kissed me back. And no, Tony, this wasn't the first time I've kissed her."

Ziva and Tony looked at each other in amazement, then looked back at McGee.

"What?" he asked, looking guilty and innocent at the same time.

I was all fluttery when McGee left, but I started cleaning up the kitchen anyway. I found myself singing songs from Oklahoma!. I felt giddy and light-headed.

Suddenly, mid-verse, I stopped. What was I doing? Will had loved _me. _Will had _died_ because of _my _bad tastes in guys. I had a glass in my hand and before I could stop myself, I smashed it against the floor.

"Damn it!" I swore angrily. "Why? Why me?" I sank to the floor, hating myself for even existing. I was completely dishonoring Will and he wasn't even buried yet.

I went to bed, still loathing myself for even having romantic thoughts about Timothy McGee. It was hours before I finally fell asleep and when my alarm went off, I hadn't gotten near enough rest. The funeral was at 10AM, though, so I had to showere and get ready quickly. My shift at Barnes and Noble started at 12PM, so I also had to get my things together for that as well.

My cell phone rang and I saw that it was McGee calling. "I don't want to talk to you, McGee!" I shouted at the phone. Of course, I really did want to talk to him, but I couldn't let myself. Will deserved more from me.

I drove to the graveside, cursing myself silently. My heart was aching for will Will, but not as if I'd lost my one true love. I ached for my best friend—the one guy who knew me better than anyone.

Will had known everything about me, from my blood type to the last time I'd had my hair cut. He knew that I drank at least two Diet Dr. Peppers a day and that, on occasion, I liked to eat Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. He had been at my college graduation and he'd even taken me out on my twenty-first birthday and bought me my first shots ever!

Finally, I arrived at the graveyard and saw only a small number of people had showed up for the graveside service on the cold, bleak day. Being invisible was going to be almost impossible. I climbed out of my car slowly, feeling that ache get worse and worse.

The closer I got to the gravesite, the harder it became to breathe. My chin quivered and I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle the rapidly rising sobs.

Before I came any nearer, Mr. Rogers turned around and saw me. I stopped dead in my tracks. His eyes were dark with hatred and rage.

"No!" he shouted angrily. "Don't you dare come another step closer! You as good as murdered my son!"

"Please, honey," Mrs. Rogers begged her husband. "Let's put him to rest in peace." She was on the verge of tears herself.

"I'll have no peace until she is gone!" Will's father yelled.

"Please, Mr. Rogers," I pleaded, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I loved Will, too."

"Loved him? Ha!" He snorted. "He loved you and you practically laughed in his face!"

I backed away, shaking my head. "I didn't know," I insisted, telling myself more than anyone else. "I didn't know."

"LEAVE!" Mr. Rogers thundered.

I turned and ran, I ran past people coming to the service. I ran past all the parked cars, including mine. I ran until I was on the other side of the massive graveyard.

"Why?" I shouted at God, falling to my knees. "You took Will! How could you do that to me?"


	19. Will's Voice in My Head

After a long day at work where I ignored three texts and one phone call from McGee. Everyone seemed to tip-toe around me and when I snapped a customer's head off, my boss asked if I needed more time.

"More time for what?" I demanded to know.

"To get over...you know, what happened last week. You're loss," she said uneasily, scratching her head nervously.

"No, I don't need more time!" I insisted angrily. "I'm fine." Giving her a glacial glare, I stalked off to unload another shipment of Twilight books.

Two days later, McGee arrived at the office. His mind was far, far away, almost in another galaxy.

"Somethin' wrong, McGee?" Gibbs wanted to know, immediately noticing that Timothy had failed to greet everyone like he usually did.

"I'm not exactly sure," McGee replied, staring off into space absently.

"She told you she just wanted to be friends, didn't she?" Tony asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"No! She just hasn't answered my calls in a couple of days," McGee corrected, glaring angrily at DiNozzo.

"Ooo..." Ziva winced. "That does not sound good, I am afraid."

"Did you check on her, McGee?" Gibbs didn't even look up from his paperwork.

"Her boss said she'd been at work the past two days, but that she seemed upset and extremely distant," Timothy rattled off in one breath. "Her car was gone from her apartment this morning when I drove by."

Ziva's brown eyes got wide. "You went by her apartment?" Her tone was full of disbelief.

"I was concerned, okay?" McGee was obviously frustrated. "She seemed fine the other night when I left."

Gibbs looked up at McGee sharply and the younger man froze in an instant.

"We had dinner after visitation, Boss, and then I left," McGee explained.

"She'll come around, McGee," Gibbs told him, going back to his paperwork. "She's just having to think through some things right now."

A long ten days passed. I still wanted to see McGee, but I just refused to allow myself. Everywhere I went, something reminded me of Will, and I wondered how I'd ever be able to love someone while I thought of my best friend who had secretly been in love with me for years. My best friend had died because of my ex-boyfriend.

I was working one day when a familiar looking woman approached me.

"I just wanted to thank you for recommending Deep Six to me," she told me. "I absolutely loved it!"

I smiled, finally realizing where I knew her from. "I'm glad you did. Who was your favorite character?"

"Oh, MacGregor, without a doubt," she replied quickly. " I fell in love with him right away."

"Me too," I said softly in agreement. "Right away."

"I was wondering if you knew if this author had any other books in the works? He's a great writer," she commented.

"I did hear that he might be starting to work on something to follow up his last one with," I told her honestly, thinking of McGee's asking me if MacGregor had a new story at last.

Late that night, I lay in bed, thinking about everything that had happened to me in the last twenty days. Suddenly, a voice came to me out of nowhere.

"Wouldn't I want you to be happy, Elle?" Will's voice asked. "Didn't I always tell you that you I just wanted you to do what made you happy?"

"You told me to do what I thought would make me happiest," I whispered. "But how can I do this to you? I can't date someone else this soon after you died."

"You didn't love me the way I loved you and that's fine. I want you to be happy. Don't spend the rest of your life regretting what you didn't know. It's fine. I loved you, but you have to move on."

My apartment was totally dark but I felt a serene calm around me, as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I pulled the blankets up around my shoulders and rolled over, then went to sleep with happy tears on my cheeks.

The next morning, I got dressed and hurried to the NCIS building. Downstairs, in the lobby, the security guard told me I would need clearance to get upstairs.

"I really need to see Agent Timothy McGee," I insisted. "Can you call upstairs and get clearance. I'm pretty sure he'll want to see me."

"Don't worry, Brad, I'll vouch for her," a familiar voice said from behind me.

I looked around and saw Agent Gibbs standing behind me. He was holding a cup of coffee and looked like he was just coming into work.

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs," I greeted him, scratching the back of my neck nervously.

"You here to see McGee?" he asked me as the security guard handed me a badge.

I nodded sheepishly. "Yes, sir. He probably hates me by now."

"Why don't we talk for a few minutes," he suggested, gesturing to a bench beside the elevators.

"You were at the funeral?" I gasped, amazed at what Gibbs had just told me. "I didn't know—I didn't see you."

"Lt. Rogers was a Marine and I was too, so I decided to go," he explained, sipping his coffee calmly.

"So you saw everything that happened?" I ducked my head, embarrassed at knowing that the awkward scene was probably known to all of the NCIS agents.

"Yeah," Agent Gibbs replied shortly. "You doin' better now?"

I looked up at him, surprised that he actually cared how I was doing. And, from the look in his eyes, I could tell he really did care. "I'm hanging in there," I replied. "I'd really like to se McGee. I guess I treated him pretty badly, but I just wasn't sure what to do."

"He'll understand. He knew you were going through some hard times," Gibbs told me.

I stood up, but Agent Gibbs caught my arm. "McGee's a good guy. If you're just looking for someone to help ease the pain of your loss, you might as well walk away now."

I thought for a moment, processing his words. "I understand, Agent Gibbs. I promise you, I don't have plans to just use McGee and then dump him. You have my word."

"Okay. Well, lets go. He's been dying to see you."


	20. Distracting Ziva and Tony

The elevator door dinged and McGee raised up in his desk chair to catch a glimpse of who it might be coming onto the floor. He'd gotten into a habit over the past week or so, always hoping that Elle might be coming to see him. This morning, though, it was Gibbs. But, he was followed by a pretty blonde-headed young woman.

"Isn't that Elle?" Tony asked, obviously seeing what McGee was.

"Yeah, it is," McGee replied, getting up out of his chair slowly.

"This should be interesting," Ziva commented, smiling smugly.

I saw McGee walking towards me and I didn't hesitate for a second. I walked right up to him and, looping one arm around his neck and sliding the other hand up his chest, I pressed my lips against his firmly. It took him only a nanosecond to respond and wrap his arms around my waist.

"How did he do that?" Tony exclaimed, nearly falling over in amazement and shock.

"She must really like him," Ziva remarked, her brown eyes wide.

"That is so not..." Tony began to say, but when Gibbs caught his eye and the younger man quickly changed what he was about to. "That is so not professional, right Boss?"

"I'm not stopping them, am I, DiNozzo?" Gibbs replied shortly, head-slapping Tony for watching the sweet moment between Elle and McGee.

"Right. Got it, Boss," DiNozzo declared, sitting down suddenly.

Ziva grinned at him from where she sat at her desk. "I think it is sweet," she declared. "McGee deserves someone who cares about him and Elle needs a shoulder to lean on right now."

"Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private," McGee suggested quietly, pushing some hair off my face tenderly.

"That's a good idea," I whispered. I could feel at least a dozen sets of eyes boring holes into us as we stood in our embrace.

McGee led me to the elevator I'd just come from and let the doors close behind us. Suddenly, he hit the emergency switch and most of the lights went out, leaving the elevator car very dim.

"Now," he put a hand on either side of me against the wall, "where were we?"

I put my hands on his chest and stopped him for a moment. "Wait a minute, McGee. I need to say something." I looked up into this bright blue eyes and saw a mixture of affection, concern, and sweetness. "I'm sorry I ignored you for so long. I was...having to sort some things out my head. But, McGee, I swear Will spoke to me last night. He said that it was okay for me to be happy again."

McGee gazed down at me earnestly. "And do you think you can be? Can you be happy again?"

I nodded and put my hand on his cheek lightly. "Yes. It's time for me to move on with my life."

"So where does that leave us?" McGee wanted to know, leaning a little closer to me.

"Where do you want us to be?" I asked, sliding my other arm around his neck.

"What about we...go out on a date? How's tonight?"

I smiled at last, letting out a deep breath. "Tonight sounds wonderful, Timothy."

He smiled too and leaned in close, pressing his mouth against mine firmly as his arms slid around my waist tightly.

Tony checked his watch again. "It's been almost five minutes," he told Ziva. "What could they be doing in there for so long?"

Ziva rolled her dark eyes. "What do you think? I doubt they're swapping stories. They are both grown up." She narrowed her gaze. "Are you jealous, Tony?"

Tony snorted. "Me? Jealous? No way!"

Ziva laughed. "You are so jealous!"

After several minutes of what we'd enjoyed on the sofa that night in front of the TV, we were interrupted by a knock on the elevator door.

"You two need to wrap this up," Gibbs said from the other side. "McGee has work to do and you're distracting Ziva and Tony."

"Coming, Boss," McGee called breathlessly, pulling back from me.

I leaned my forehead against his. "So, what time are you going to pick me up tonight?"

"Seven sound all right?" he asked.

"Perfect."

McGee opened the elevator doors and walked out, leaving Elle inside. She had to get to work and then he'd pick her up for dinner after they both got off. The Junior Agent walked back into the bullpen, whistling a happy tune. Tony observed him critically.

"She a good kisser?" he asked.

McGee glared at Tony. "That is none of your business," he replied sharply, sitting down at his desk.

"Uh, McGee, your top button is a unbuttoned," Ziva pointed out, trying to hide her smile.

McGee glanced downwards and then quickly buttoned up his shirt. "Thank you, Ziva."

"What time are you taking her out?" Tony wanted to know.

"Seven," McGee replied triumphantly. He had a date on a weeknight and Tony had made it well known to the team that he hadn't had a date in over three weeks.

"Where are you taking her?" Ziva asked curiously.

McGee froze. "That's a good question, Ziva. Where would you like to go if someone took you out?"

As Ziva thought, Tony groaned. "McGee, you're talking about two totally different women here. Ziva is a trained Mossad assassin and Elle is a writer who works at Barnes and Noble! Big difference!"

"Okay," McGee agreed. "You're right."

Tony smiled, convinced that McGee was about to ask him for advice. Instead, he turned to Gibbs.

"Boss, you got any good ideas?" Tim asked the older man.

Gibbs struggled again to hide his smile. "There is a nice little Southwestern place downtown. It oughta do just fine."


	21. A Love Interest

_**I just want to thank everyone for the reviews! I'm really loving this story so far and I do plan to continue. Honestly, I have an entire future mapped out for McGee and Elle. Please keep reading!**_

After work, I rushed home to get ready for my date with McGee. He had called me earlier to ask if a Southwestern restaurant would be all right for dinner and I had willingly agreed. Anything was fine with me. I hadn't been eating very much over the past two weeks or so and my clothes were all starting to feel a bit loose.

Once out of the shower, I toweled off and ran a comb through my wet hair to get out tangles that the Pantene hadn't taken care of. My stitches had already come out, but the scar from the cut would be there for life. I ran my fingertips along the scar lightly. It would always remind me of what had happened.

The clocks said 6:15PM, which meant I had to hurry if I wanted to be ready in time. To get me in the mood, I went to my CD player and turned on whatever was already in the player. It was my CD of the Ballas Hough Band that I had bought just before Will's murder.

As the songs drifted quietly through my apartment, I applied more makeup for one night then I had worn in the past three weeks all together. McGee was important to me and I wanted to look my best.

At six-thirty, McGee turned his computer off and got up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning," he told everyone.

"Good luck tonight, Probie," Tony called, enviously watching McGee head to the elevator.

"Lucky fellow," DiNozzo remarked to Ziva one McGee was gone.

"You are jealous!" Ziva exclaimed. "I knew it!"

"Fine! So what if I am jealous? Put yourself in my position. Elle Charlton is hot and she's going out with McGee. Our McGee, who doesn't usually get the hot girls," Tony pointed out. "I'd say I have a good reason to be jealous."

Ziva nodded in agreement. "Why don't we go out for a drink and something to eat?" she suggested. "My evening is free."

Tony looked up at her, a smile spreading across his devilishly handsome face.

When McGee got to Elle's apartment, he took a deep breath. He hadn't had a date in a while and especially not one with someone as beautiful as Elle Charlton. He was downright nervous.

Upstairs, he knocked on her door and she answered quickly. He took a moment to take in her—what she was wearing and how she looked. She was wearing a short black cotton dress with a lime green tank top disguising how revealing the dress actually was. She was wearing a denim jacket over the dress and cowboy boots, which still left a good portion of her long, tanned legs visible to McGee's eyes.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, looking down at her outfit when she saw McGee doing the same.

"You look great," he told her sincerely. "Forgive my staring at you. I'm not used to seeing cowboy boots around here. You ready to go?" He offered her his arm in Mr. Darcy fashion and she excepted it happily.

When we got downtown, McGee parked his Porsche Boxster in a public parking lot so that we could stroll down the well-lit, quaint streets in the unusually warm March air. My hand fit into his perfectly and we fell into stride together naturally. The entire thing felt so right—not like anything else I'd ever felt before.

"So, you're a bit of a writer, I understand," McGee commented. When I looked at him strangely, he got sheepish. "I had to read your file, during the case."

"Ohhhh...," I nodded and blushed a little. "Yeah, I wanted to be a writer, but I've had a chronic case of writer's block since I graduated from college. I got a job at Barnes and Noble to pay the bills so that I could try to write, but nothing has come to me yet. I have so many ideas in my head, but getting them down on paper is much harder than it seems." I took a deep breath when I'd finished what I was saying, worried that I'd talked too much.

"Yeah, tell me about it," McGee agreed.

"Is that why you decided to write about your team? Because it was something you already knew about?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Yes, that was mostly it. I wanted to write a crime thriller anyway, so I just took the people I worked with and things that had happened to us and made it into a story," he explained very simply.

"Well, it was definitely a hit. This lady that I recommended your book to a work came in a few days ago and told me how much she liked it. She said her favorite character was MacGregor," I told him. "She wanted to know if you had any new books coming out." I smiled up at him knowingly.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" McGee raised his eyebrows significantly. Suddenly, he stopped walking and turned towards me. "Why don't you co-write the next story with me? I could use a female perspective."

For once in my life, I was speechless. I tried to think of some way to express my excitement, but nothing would come out for at least a minute. Finally, I managed to speak. "That would be...incredible! I can't believe that you would make that kind of offer. I might actually take you up on it!"

McGee thought for a minute. "Well," he said, "I'd like for you to. I think we'd make a really good team." He slid his arm around my waist lightly and I fit perfectly against his chest.

"All right, Thom E. Gemcity. You and I are going to write a novel together." I stood on tip-toe and kissed his mouth lightly. "I'm glad I met you," I whispered.

"I'm glad I met you, too," he replied, smiling boyishly.

"So, should we stay here on the street, or should we actually go get some dinner?" I asked after we'd gazed into each other's eyes for a while.

"Oh!" McGee almost jumped. "Yeah, sorry. I kinda forgot about that."

I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned my head against his shoulder. "We're going to write a bestseller, McGee," I assured him. "I can feel it already."

"I always did think that MacGregor deserved a love interest," McGee said thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd say he's got one now!"


	22. Beauty and the Geek

__Over dinner, the conversation never stopped. Tim and I decided to ask each other about random things.

"What's your favorite kind of music?" Tim wanted to know.

"Hmm....I listen to everything—country, rock, classical, jazz—you name it and I listen to it. Except for heavy metal. I'm not a huge fan of that. You?"

"Well, I listen to jazz when I write, but other than that, I listen to classical mostly," McGee told me, taking a drink of his beer.

"Do you play any instruments?" I asked, sipping my Diet Dr. Pepper, which I'd ordered because I wasn't a huge beer drinker.

"Piano," he admitted, ducking his head as if embarrassed.

"Really?" I exclaimed. "I love the piano. Will used to..." I let my voice trail off for a minute. I had promised myself I wouldn't mention Will during the date and now I had.

"It's okay," Tim told me, reaching across the table and taking my hand gently. "It's fine for you to talk about him around me."

I took a deep breath and squeezed McGee's hand gently. "Thanks. Anyway, he used to play the piano really well when we were kids. I have CDs that he made and sometimes I like to listen to them when I write. It calms me down and clears my mind."

Our conversation was interrupted when the waiter brought us out food, traditional Southwestern dishes. The rest of the meal, we discussed books, movies, hobbies, and dogs. McGee had a German Shepherd named "Jethro". Abby, the NCIS forensic scientist, had convinced him to adopt the former Military Police dog.

After Tim paid for our dinner, we walked down the street to a small ice cream parlor and candy store.

"I hope you like ice cream," McGee told me, opening the door and letting me go in first. He was definitely a gentleman, which was something rare in today's world.

"Ice cream is great!" I assured him sincerely. I was impressed that Tim had put so much thought into what we were going to do, rather than just "winging" it.

"Hi, how can I help you?" the young man behind the counter asked, smiling when he saw Elle standing out the counter. McGee watched disapprovingly as the guy looked Elle up and down, but he didn't say a word. He merely walked up behind Elle and glared at the guy.

"Yes, I'll have two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough," Elle told the guy. "In a cone, please."

"Yes, ma'am. Coming right up." The guy looked up at McGee and glared back. "And what do you want?"

"I'll have two scoop of chocolate," McGee told him.

When we'd gotten our ice cream cones, we walked back outside and I burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What's so funny?" Tim wanted to know, his eyebrows furrowed together in puzzlement.

"The stare-down you were having with that guy in there!" I exclaimed. "It was hilarious!"

McGee blushed a little and looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm just not used to...being out with a girl like you."

"What kind of girl am I?" I asked seriously, licking my ice cream cone calmly.

"You're...um...hot," McGee finally said.

I laughed and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet. Agent DiNozzo was the one who said that, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Tim admitted. "I was more worried about how you were holding up."

I slipped my free hand into his. "Well, personally, I am glad that wasn't your first thought when you met me. That's why I'm on a date with you and not DiNozzo."

"Tony asked you out?" McGee was amazed. "He never mentioned that!"

I smiled smugly. "Probably because I turned him down flat and told him that I only had eyes for you. Not to mention the fact that Agent David seems to check him out every chance she gets."

"You turned Tony down because of me?" There was no hiding McGee's amazement this time.

I looked directly at him. "Yes. Why?"

Tim was speechless. "Because...he's Tony DiNozzo. Every woman he meets is dying to go out with him. Not me."

I smiled at McGee. "I like you, Tim. Not DiNozzo," I told him.

That night, after McGee took me back to my apartment and kissed me goodnight, I washed the makeup off my face, smiling the entire time. Once I climbed underneath the sheets, I picked my journal up off the bedside table and began writing.

_Tonight was my date with Tim McGee, the NCIS agent I've mentioned a lot recently. He was uber sweet and paid for my meal and ice cream afterwards. We talked about so many different things and the conversation never lagged at all. He let me take his arm, held my hand, and kissed me several times. Tim may be a total computer nerd and a major geek, but he's really friendly. He wants me to co-write his next novel with him and he wants to have "MacGregor's" love interest be based on me. I'm honored, but a little nervous too. I want a relationship with Tim. I want to spend lots more time with him and that scares me. I've never felt so safe around someone before, not even Will. Tim seems a little boyish and insecure, but I really like him already. I didn't tell him that Agent DiNozzo told me he was an "elf lord" in his online game. I don't care. Right now, he's mine and that's all that matters to me. _

I closed my journal and leaned back against the pillows, sighing. Could this really be happening to me?


	23. Orchids

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I had intended. My shift at the bookstore didn't start until ten and it was only six-thirty, so I had plenty of time to catch up on some things that had been piling up for weeks now.

After a thirty minute run around my neighborhood, I began de-cluttering all the junk that had accumulated around my apartment—drink cans, fast food containers, magazines, books, and sheets of notebook paper that I'd written down my thoughts on. I threw everything into a garbage bag, then got a dust rag out of the closet and went over every flat surface.

As soon as that was done, I took a shower and put on some makeup quickly, then let my hair dry while I ran a vacuum cleaner around the apartment and cleaned up all the dirty dishes in the sink. My place was definitely looking much better already.

The clock said 9AM, so I quickly pulled on my work clothes and grabbed my bag from beside the door. I had regained my energy to life.

When McGee arrived at the office that morning, he beat Tony, but not Ziva or Gibbs.

"How did your date with Elle go?" Ziva asked curiously, looking up from her computer screen.

"It was great," McGee told her, turning to Gibbs. "By the way, Boss, that restaurant you suggested was great. The food was excellent."

Gibbs smirked a little, as if he knew something Timothy didn't. "Glad you enjoyed yourself, McGee."

"Good morning, everyone!" Tony called, entering the bullpen. He saw McGee and immediately zoned in on him. "Tell me everything, Probie. Did she leave in the middle of dinner? Did you actually have the nerve to talk to her?"

"No, Tony, she did not leave in the middle of the meal. Actually, we had a very interesting conversation over dinner. Then, we walked down the street and got ice cream at a candy shop."

"Who recommended the ice cream?" Tony wanted to know, scoffing at the idea.

"I did, DiNozzo," Gibbs spoke up.

"Sorry, Boss," Tony apologized, looking for an escape from what he'd just said. Ziva hid her laughter and McGee smirked triumphantly.

"How do you plan to follow up, McGee?" Ziva asked curiously. "Did you ask her out again?"

"Not yet," McGee replied. "But, now that you mention it, maybe I'll send her some flowers."

"Flowers? After a first date?" DiNozzo exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, Tony," Tim replied. " I think I might be falling in love."

I'd been working at the reference desk for an hour when a young man walked up to me. He was carrying a beautiful orchid in a brightly colored pot.

"I have a delivery for Elle Charlton and the lady up front told me that she worked back here," he announced.

"I'm Elle Charlton," I told him.

"These are for then." He handed me the flower and made me sign his clipboard. Once he was gone, I stared at the beautiful flower in awe. Sweet McGee! I loved orchids more than any other flower. A card was stuck into a plastic stake and I opened it quickly.

_Dear Elle, I hope you're having a great day. Should we get together tomorrow night and write some? I can't wait to see you again. McGee. _

I sighed and when I looked up, found myself surrounded by several of my female co-workers.

"You got flowers?" one of them exclaimed. "Who from?"

"Have you got a new guy, girl? Good for you!" another congratulated me.

A short time after he'd called the local florist, McGee got a txt message.

**Elle: These orchids are incredible! That was so sweet!**

**McGee: I hoped you would like them. So, will you come over to my place and**

**write with me tomorrow night? **

**Elle: Hmm...I guess so...:-) Of course! Anything I can bring?**

**McGee: Your laptop, so we can both write at the same time.**

"How did she like the flowers?" Ziva asked, hearing McGee's phone beep several times as they rode to a crime scene.

"She loved them," McGee replied happily.

"Flowers after a first date." Tony rolled his eyes. Truth be told, he was jealous of McGee's good luck. Why did Probie get the beautiful blonde? Why was McGee the one sending flowers to the damsel in distress? It wasn't fair!

Ziva could see that her partner was upset about something, but she wasn't sure what it was. He had been different ever since his undercover assignment with Jeanne and then, after the director had died and he'd been sent to the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, she was convinced that he'd grown up some. She vaguely wondered if Tony was jealous that he wasn't the one dating Elle Charlton.


	24. Someone is Always Watching

The next night, I got home from work and quickly changed into a pair of jeans, a white tank top, and a long sleeved blue Henley with some Sperrys. My laptop had been charging all day long so I put it and the battery cord into my brown Aeropostale messenger bag and then headed off to McGee's apartment to begin the new novel.

When I knocked on the door, loud barking started on the other side and I vaguely wondered if I had the wrong apartment number. The piece of paper I'd written the address down on said #239, but surely McGee didn't have a dog that sounded that vicious.

The door opened and McGee and a rather large German Shepherd greeted me, putting his paws up on me and licking my face.

"Sorry," Tim apologized, pulling the dog down by his collar. "He loves to meet new people and he gets a little...overeager."

I crouched down and scratched the handsome dog behind his ears. "It's fine, Tim. I love dogs. What's his name?"

"Jethro," McGee replied, closing the door behind me.

I looked up sharply. "As in Leroy _Jethro_ Gibbs?"

McGee nodded. "Yeah, Abby named him. Jethro was accused of mauling someone, but we later found out that he didn't. Abby insisted I take him since her landlord wouldn't let her have him. We're surprisingly good friends, even though he attacked me."

I stood up suddenly, looking down at the dog, who seemed perfectly gentle. "He attacked you? When?"

"It was about three or four months ago. See?" McGee held up his arm and I saw obvious scars on his arm.

"But he doesn't hurt you still, does he? Cause abusive relationships usually end badly." I winked, letting him know I was teasing him.

"Very fun," Tim replied, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. "You ready to write some?"

I patted my messenger bag. "You bet."

In no time at all, we were both set up at desks, our backs to each other.

"Maybe we should brainstorm first," I suggested. "That's what I always do."

"That's a good idea. We should write down what we felt during the whole investigation. Having both points of view would be a nice touch."

I had just begun typing when I heard his typewriter start clicking away. Curious, I stood behind him and surveyed it carefully. "Nice...Is that a Remington?" I asked.

"It sure is," McGee replied proudly.

"Can I try it?" I begged. "Please, just once."

McGee took his hands away from the keys. "Be my guest, Elle."

I reached around him, propping my chin on his shoulder while I typed one word, "Elle" , on his blank sheet of paper. "It works perfectly!" I said in amazement. "But it's an antique."

"I keep it in prime condition," Tim assured me, turning his head and kissing my cheek lightly.

"Mhm..." I whispered, pressing my lips to his.

"We're never going to get any writing done," McGee objected, pulling away for a minute. I knew he wanted to kiss me too, though.

"Just think of it as...inspiration," I told him.

We were interrupted soon thereafter when the pizza delivery guy showed up with the large pepperoni pizza that we had ordered.

"Darn," I muttered, untangling myself from Tim's arms. My Henley was lying on the floor and I was in my jeans and my tank top. McGee had shed his sweatshirt, leaving him in sweatpants and an MIT tee shirt. Our making out had been heated and enjoyable.

"Always leave it to the pizza delivery guy to interrupt whatever I'm doing," McGee grumbled, getting up and heading to the door.

I laughed as I watched him. His hair was mussed and his clothes were a bit wrinkled up. No doubt the Dominoes guy would tell this story to his girlfriend on the next day. I sat back in the desk chair and fingered the pipe that was beside the typewriter. I had only known McGee for a month, but I already cared about him more than anyone else in the world. Will was different. He was gone, and even though I knew he was up in Heaven watching over me, I needed someone here on earth. And, right now, Tim McGee seemed like one of the best people I'd ever met. Next to Will, he was definitely the sweetest.

After we had eaten, we finally got around to do some actually writing and not just inspiring one another. I wrote down my thoughts about what had happened during the whole experience and McGee did the same. Then, we compared our notes with one another.

"You didn't even notice that I was pretty at first, but once DiNozzo pointed it out, you couldn't stop thinking about it?" I read aloud, thinking that was maybe the most innocent thing I'd ever heard.

Tim's head snapped up as he read my notes. "You had never felt anything more comforting and protective as my arms around you that first day we met."

I shrugged, a blush creeping down my neck. "Yeah, so what about it?"

"What about me not 'checking you out' like Tony? I was a little more concerned about your well-being and the fact that you'd just been through hell," Tim explained.

"Okay, that first moment when you showed up at Will's house, I was petrified. All the cops and the lights flashing—it overwhelmed me and when you put your arms around me, I felt safe for a few minutes," I told him honestly.

Tim reached over and touched my cheek gently with the back of his hand. "Tony was right, Elle. You're beautiful. I still can't believe you're dating me."

I cocked my head at him, my eyebrows scrunched together in puzzlement. "Why? Do you think supermodels only date guys like Brad Pitt? I'm definitely no supermodel."

"And I'm no Brad Pitt," Tim pointed out.

I grinned. "You're my Brad Pitt."

Later that night, when Elle left Tim's apartment, someone was watching from a nearby black Jeep Cherokee. He saw NCIS Agent Timothy McGee walk her out to her car. They talked for several minutes and then, to the watcher's disgust, Agent McGee leaned down and kissed her passionately. From the looks of things, she was enjoying it just as much as he was.

**Okay, so I'm going to bring in some new conflict, but I need time to set up for it. I need to establish some things first. Just stay with me. By the way, thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I never dreamed this many people would like my story. **


	25. The Team's Views

As the months passed, I fell hopelessly in love with Tim McGee. It felt like something I had only read about in books. He was the sweetest, gentlest geek I had ever met. And, to make things even better, he was all mine. We spent every hour that we weren't at work together. I grew close to the people he worked with.

Ziva and I became best friends, always gossiping about the latest celebrity news and clothing. Tony was like the older brother I'd always dreamed of having. Will had been like a twin to me, but Tony was annoying, irritating, aggravating, and loveable. Ducky was like a grandfather, always watching over us all and giving little bits of advice where he thought they were needed. Abby, who at first had viewed me with slight hostility because I spent so much time with Tim, eventually came around. She knew, as did I, that McGee and I were meant to be together forever, as cliché and dorky as it sounded. Gibbs was always there, supervising us all to make sure we stayed in line. I knew he was someone I could trust with my life—someone I could always count on to be there with me. And of course, always watching from above was that mysterious, silent NCIS Director Vance, who never said anything to me at all.

Through Will's death, I had lost one family and gained a whole 'nother one. They loved me and accepted me just the way I was—no questions asked. I knew they could see it too. See that Tim and I were perfect for each other in every way.

McGee had never been happier in his life, not even when his book had become a bestseller. Elle was everything he'd ever dreamed of and prayed for. His family loved her and made her feel welcome, but Tim had never been so amazed as he was by the response he got from his NCIS team. Without his asking, they made Elle a part of their circle of friends. Ziva asked her to go shopping with her and Tony loaned her movies from his precious collection. Ducky told her all the stories that the rest of them had heard dozens of times before and Elle was an attentive listener. Even Abby took a liking to McGee's new girlfriend, despite the initial jealously that had sprung up on her side.

Tim knew that he was in love—not a fleeting, momentary love, but real, genuine love. It was a sensation like nothing he'd ever felt before. He hadn't had to ask anyone or Google it—this was right. Elle was the girl for him.

Gibbs could see it—the love that engulfed his geekiest team member. Not only had he gotten a beautiful young woman, but he'd also grown as a person. His confidence in himself had increased and more and more often, he teased Tony back. Gibbs had been around Elle and talked to her enough to know that she returned the feelings wholeheartedly. She was a sweet girl and Leroy could tell that she and McGee deserved each other. Gibbs didn't say much to his team about her, but he made room in his heart for the poor girl who had no family except for them.

Tony was still a little jealous of McGee, but he had quickly realized that Elle was perfect for Tim and not for anyone else. They complimented each other and predicted each other's movements and words. Elle had become sort of like Tony's little sister—someone he could pick on and harass, but who would always do anything she could for him. She discussed the latest movies with him and was almost as good at quoting them as he was. He liked her. He liked her a lot, but someone else caught his eye as well. She was someone close to him—someone who never seemed to realize just how much he cared.

Ziva had no trouble excepting McGee's new girlfriend, Elle. In fact, she welcomed another female in the small group of friends. Elle was easy to get along and even though Ziva was a trained assassin and Elle was a writer/Hourly Manager at Barnes and Noble, they discussed everything girly. It was nice for Ziva to have someone to relate with. Sometimes she grew lonely, being the only girl on the actual team. Although she and Abby got along, they were not overly close. Elle and Ziva had been shopping together several times and out to lunch a few times over the months. Overall, Ziva was glad to have Elle for a friend.

At first, Abby hadn't liked the fact that Timmy had a new girlfriend, but the more she was around Elle and the more she saw how happy McGee was, the easier it got for her. It wasn't like Abby still had romantic feelings for her old boyfriend, but she still didn't care to see him with another woman at first. Over the months, though, Abby grew to like Elle. She wasn't as close to McGee's girlfriend as Ziva was, but they were still friends.

Ducky watched from afar, not for one second failing to see that McGee had grown braver in his ventures to autopsy. He seemed more grown up to Ducky, and not nearly like the nerdy young boy he had been for the seven years that Ducky had known him. It was a welcome sight to know that true love still existed.


	26. A Romantic Night

"I'm going to ask Elle to marry me tonight," McGee announced to Tony and Ziva one day at work. "It's our six month anniversary today."

Ziva looked up and flashed her beautiful smile. "Congratulations, McGee. I'm sure that the two of you will be very happy."

"She hasn't said yes yet, Ziva. That is called counting your eggs before they're hatched," Tony pointed out cynically.

"Yes, Tony, but we all know that they love each other. It is not...new news, as you Americans say."

"The term is 'that's old news,', and I'm aware of that," Ziva replied fiercely. She was tired of this hidden jealously that seemed to flare up whenever McGee spoke of Elle and his future with her. Ziva couldn't understand why her partner was so envious.

"You have a ring, McGee?" Gibbs asked, coming into the bullpen, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.

"Bought it last week, Boss."

"Do you have it with you?" Ziva wanted to know, getting up from her chair. Her movements were calculated and stealthy as always.

"Right here," Tim told her, holding up a small black box. "Would you like to see it?"

With Tony and Ziva on either side of him and Gibbs in front of his desk, Tim opened the small black box and showed them the ring. It was a silver band with a small solitaire setting. Simple, but elegant.

"It's beautiful," Ziva told McGee. "Elle will love it."

"Are you kidding?" Tony exclaimed. "I can barely see a jewel in there. Is there even one in there, Probie?"

"It's half a carat." Tim glared up at Tony. "Have you ever seen how much engagement rings cost, Tony?"

DiNozzo stood up and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um...nah. Never really been down that particular road."

"Then you wouldn't understand, DiNozzo," Gibbs spoke up, taking a sip of his coffee. "Diamonds are expensive."

"Then just buy her a really big cubic zircona," Tony laughed, walking back to his desk. Somehow he knew he was losing the battle. When Gibbs stepped in, you lost.

Ziva whirled around to face Tony. "Are you saying that you would give a girl a fake diamond?" She walked over and got right in his face, so close that he could smell her perfume and the cup of tea she'd had early that morning.

"Um...maybe?" Tony replied uncertainly, trying to avoid looking Ziva David directly in the eyes.

"You are a sneaky person, Tony. I will think twice before I trust you again."

That night, I walked into the closet and pulled out a small black dress. Tim had told me that tonight was a "special date". I wasn't sure where we were going, but I knew that he wanted me to dress up.

In the bathroom, I put on my makeup, heavier than usual. I even went so far as to follow directions from a beauty magazine on "how to get smoky eyes in three short minutes". The rest of what I applied to my face was what I usually wore.

Ten minutes before he was scheduled to arrive, I slipped into the small black cocktail dress that flared slightly at the bottom and had a ruffle running around the hem, which fell just above my knees. The neckline plunged slightly, but I was feeling brave tonight. McGee made me feel safe and protected. I had never felt so loved and respected in all my life. I knew that I'd never be able to live without him in my life.

Just as I heard Tim knock on the door, I slipped my feet into a pair of red high heels, the dash of color I needed to complete my outfit.

"I'm coming," I called, grabbing my clutch off the bedside table and rushing out to let McGee into the apartment.

McGee was leaning against the doorframe when Elle opened the door and stood there, a vision in black. He couldn't help it; he looked her up and down, still incredulous that his beautiful girl in front of him was actually his girlfriend and, hopefully, soon to be his fiancé.

The dress fit every curve of her body perfectly and showed off Elle's long, tanned legs. The heels brought raised her up an inch or two so that her bright blue eyes were directly on level with his.

"You look gorgeous," he told her softly, taking her hands in his.

Elle blushed and looked down, but Tim lifted her chin with his other hand and looked into her eyes, vaguely noticing that the eye makeup she had on seriously accented the color of them. "I love you," he declared, pressing his forehead against Elle's.

"I love you, too, Tim," she replied quietly. "More than anything in this world."

When we arrived at the restaurant, I recognized it as one of the most illustrious in Washington, D.C. It was an elegant place that took weeks to get a reservation at. I smiled and shook my head, wondering how Tim had done it. Butterflies were building in my stomach because, in the back of my mind, I was beginning to wonder if McGee was going to propose. Surely not! Guys were supposed to be afraid of commitment, right? Then, it occurred to me that Tim wasn't like any other guy I'd ever known. He was sweet, gentle, and the love of my life.

All through dinner, I kept a close eye out for anything small and shiny, but nothing ever appeared. Desperately, I tried not to be disappointed, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to marry McGee, to spend the rest of my life with him. Dessert came, and then the check. Even though we had our usual conversation that never lagged, something in the back of my head kept saying that Tim had asked me out for some special reason. What was it?

For over an hour, he sat in his car, waiting for Elle to come out with her boyfriend. He'd been watching them for five months now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to do this. He had seen Agent McGee purchase the diamond ring at a local jewelry store. He'd seen them leave Elle's apartment tonight, dressed to the nines. Tonight was the night. He held the gun in his hand, his eyes dark with rage.


	27. Gunned Down

After dinner, Tim and I walked outside, but before I could climb into his small sports car, he stopped me.

"Why don't we walk down to this park for a little while? I could use a little fresh air after being in that tiny restaurant for so long," he told me.

I smiled, leaning against his arm. "Sure. I don't have anywhere else I need to be," I replied.

Tim leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're always so easy-going. If more women were like you, I might not have been available when we met."

When we got to the park, I realized what McGee was doing. This was the park where I had cried on his shoulder after our meeting in the coffee shop.

"Oh my gosh," I whispered, stopping dead in my tracks as we approached the bench.

"Do you remember this spot?" Tim asked me quietly, turning towards me.

I nodded, trying to grasp what was happening. McGee led me over to the bench and sat me down, then knelt.

"Elle, my life has never been the same since that day you cried on my shoulder. I know we met under the worst of circumstances, but now things are different. I love you more than anything in the world," McGee told me. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box.

I gasped, placing my hand over my heart. "You're asking me to marry you?"

Tim nodded. "That's right. You're the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Elle Charlton, I'm asking you flat out; will you marry me?"

I tried to breathe, but somehow it was more difficult than I'd ever experienced. "Yes," I told him. "I'll marry you, Tim."

He slid the ring onto my finger and then put his hands on either side of my face and pressed his lips to mine as we stood up simultaneously. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his.

"You little bitch!" someone swore furiously behind us. "I knew you were worth nothing!"

McGee broke away from our kiss and turned around, keeping one arm around my waist at the same time. I was taken aback when I saw Will's father, Mr. Rogers, standing there. I hadn't seen any of his family since the funeral.

"What are you doing, Mr. Rogers?" I demanded to know, shivering with fear, despite McGee's arm around me. He wasn't carrying his gun, since he was off-duty.

"I'm here to give you what you deserve. It is your fault that who I loved his dead, and now I'm going to take away the person you love." He pulled a gun out of his coat pocket.

The next thirty seconds happened in a flash. McGee went to push Elle out of the way just as two loud gunshots rang out. She lay beneath him, motionless, and he felt something warm and wet on his hand. Then he smelled blood, like rust. She had been hit and she looked up at him with eyes full of shock and horror.

Tim looked up to see Mr. Rogers looking confused and enraged. He took one look at McGee, then fired two more times, striking the NCIS agent in the shoulder and the side. Then, he turned and fled.

McGee lay on his side for a minute, trying to conquer the pain that was coursing through his body. Hands shaking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It took him over thirty seconds to dial 9-1-1 and when he tried to tell them what had happened, his mind seemed to be on a ten second delay.

"We're dispatching units to your location right away, sir," the dispatcher told him after he'd managed to tell her that he and Elle had been shot in the Lincoln Street Park.

Rolling over onto his side, McGee checked Elle's pulse while he hit Speed Dial 1 on his phone, calling Gibbs. Elle's pulse was faint, but steady. Her shirt was covered with blood and she was unconscious. He couldn't tell where the wound were exactly, though.

"Yeah, Gibbs," McGee's boss answered the phone.

"Boss..." Tim gasped. "Rogers...shot...us. Need...help." He lapsed into unconsciousness and the phone hit the pavement.

That's all Gibbs needed to hear. He jumped up from his desk chair. Ziva and Tony had just headed towards the elevator.

"Ziva! DiNozzo! Get back here! We've got a problem!"

At the urgency in Gibbs' voice, the two NCIS agents whirled around and came running back.

"What's wrong, Boss?" Tony wanted to know, putting his back-pack down beside his desk.

"I just got a call from McGee. He and Elle are in trouble. Tony, run a trace on his cell phone and find out where they are. Ziva, check McGee's computer and see if you can find out what restaurant they were having dinner at," Gibbs ordered his team members. They immediately they went to work.

"They were having dinner at Walter's on Lincoln Street," Ziva announced, looking up from McGee's computer. "That's only two miles from here."

"I've got his cell phone records," Tony called, hunched over his keyboard. There was a hint of panic in his voice as he spoke. "He's in the Lincoln Street Park, two blocks from here. He placed a call to 9-1-1 just before he called you."

"Let's go," Gibbs told them, grabbing his gun and badge from the drawer.

When the three of them arrived at the park, the place was a sea of red and blue lights. Ziva counted two ambulances and five cop cars.

"What the hell has McGee done now?" Tony wanted to know, getting out of the car as fast as he could. He was trying to hide how worried he was about his friend.

Gibbs saw Elle in one ambulance and McGee on the other. "Tony and Ziva, check on Elle. I'll see about McGee." He headed towards the nearest ambulance where McGee was lying on a stretcher.

"Boss," Tim breathed, seeing Gibbs come to his side. "It's good to see you."

"How's he doing?" Gibbs asked the EMT, seeing the blood that soaked McGee's clothes.

"He's going to be fine. We just need to get him to a hospital right away," the man replied, setting up an IV in Tim's arm.

"Boss, it was Lt. Rogers' father. He shot us. I need you to take care of this...please."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll handle of it. Now, get to the hospital. I'll see you there."

"Boss...Elle?"

"I don't know yet. Ziva and Tony are with her now. I'll let you know."


	28. Grim News

Ziva gasped when she saw Elle. Blood drenched her clothes, but she was awake and fighting the oxygen mask.

"Where's Tim?" she wanted to know, her voice faint. "He got shot, too."

"Gibbs is with him now. You'll be able to see him soon," Ziva told her, feeling tears come to her dark eyes. It scared her to see her friend looking weak.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tony asked the medics, putting his hand comfortingly on Ziva's arm as he did so. He could see how upset she was.

"She's lost a lot of blood, but once we get the bullets out and the wounds clean, she should be okay," they replied. "We need to get her to the hospital right away.

"Which hospital?" Ziva demanded to know.

"Georgetown University," they replied, lifting Elle's stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

Gibbs met them back at the car. "According to McGee, Lt. Rogers' father is the one who shot them. How's Elle?"

"They said that she's lost a lot of blood, but she'll be all right," Ziva replied, folding her hands across her chest in an effort to maintain her composure.

"We need to get to the hospital. Tony, call Abby. Ziva, call Ducky. I'll call Leon. We've got to come up with a plan."

"What if we fake Probie's death?" Tony suggested as Gibbs followed the ambulance to the hospital. "I've seen that done before."

Ziva turned around in the front seat to give Tony a sharp glance. "Really?" Her voice was full of disbelief.

"Well, it seems a lot more cool in the movies," he admitted.

"Good idea, DiNozzo," Gibbs said suddenly. "I like it."

"Uh...Boss, are you sure?" Tony seemed uncertain of his plan now. "I was only kidding."

"I was at Lt. Rogers' funeral. His father seemed to think she was the killer coming to say goodbye to her victim. If he's the one who shot them, then McGee's funeral might draw him out."

"It just might work," Ziva agreed, shaking her head as a small smile spread across her face.

"So, what do we tell everyone that McGee loved? We'll need some real grief at that funeral," Tony pointed out.

"I'll have McGee call his parents and sister to explain what's going on," Gibbs decided. "Ziva, call Abby, Ducky, and the Director—tell them what we're doing. Tony, you're going to tell Elle that McGee is dead. I don't want to risk her faking it at the funeral."

"Boss, I really don't like telling people that the person they loved is dead, especially not when they really aren't dead," Tony objected, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

Gibbs looked at Tony in the rearview mirror and immediately, DiNozzo began to sing a different tune.

When the three of them arrived at the hospital, Ziva went to make her phone calls while Gibbs went to talk to McGee and Tony to Elle.

McGee was lying on a bed in the ER, letting the doctor examine his wounds.

"How's he doing?" Gibbs asked the doctor.

"I removed the one bullet that was lodged in between Agent McGee's ribs. The gunshot wound sustained to his shoulder fractured his collarbone, but that should heal in a couple of months. He lost some blood, but he should be fine in a day or two."

Gibbs nodded, appreciating a doctor who didn't give him too many medical terms. "I'd like a minute alone, if you don't mind."

The doctor shook his head and picked up his chart. "Not a problem. I'll be in the next room if you need me."

"Boss, how's Elle doing?" Tim wanted to know anxiously. "She was bleeding, so I know she was hit."

"I spoke to a nurse on my way in. She said that the wounds weren't life-threatening, and that Elle should be fine after a day or so, just like you," Gibbs told him.

McGee let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he breathed. Then, he looked back at Gibbs. "We have to get Rogers, Boss. He looked us both in the eye and shot us. He wanted to kill us both."

"McGee, I'm handling this, just like I told you I would. But, you may have to go stay with Tony for a couple of days till this all blows over."

"Till what blows over?"

"We're going to tell the media that an NCIS agent died tonight in what appears to have been a random mugging. Ziva's calling the Director right now to get the go ahead. I thought you might want to call your parents and sister, to let them know."

"Is someone telling Elle?" McGee wanted to know. His main concern was for the woman he loved so dearly.

"We're telling her what we're telling the news. Hopefully, at the funeral, Rogers will show up and then we can arrest him."

"Have you even tried going to his house and arresting him?" McGee asked, looking incredulous. "Somehow this all sounds like one of Tony's ideas."

"Maybe it is, McGee," Gibbs replied shortly. "Just trust me, okay?"

Tim, exhausted and in pain, leaned back against the pillows. "All right, Boss. Whatever you say."

When Tony got into the room where Elle was being treated, he immediately saw the ring on her left hand where McGee had no doubt placed it moments before they were gunned down. Her face was pale and her right shoulder was already bandaged up. The dress she had been wearing had been cut by the ER staff, it appeared.

"Hey, Tony," she greeted him softly, trying to smile bravely.

"How're you doing, Elle?" he replied, trying not to think about what he was fixing to have to do. It was one thing to tell someone that the person they loved the most was dead, but when that person really _wasn't _dead...it just seemed cruel to him.

"The doctor said I'll live," she replied, laughing a little and then wincing.

Something in Tony's eyes told me that everything wasn't okay. I hadn't seen Tim since I'd been brought into the ER, and even then I'd been able to see bright red blood on his white shirt.

"Where's McGee?" I demanded to know, starting to grow frantic. Tony was teasing, or laughing, or quoting movies. He was just standing there, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Finally, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Elle. He's...he didn't make it."


	29. Hating Hospitals

**Justicerocks, you are the most awesome reviewer ever! Thanks a million!**

It took a minute for Tony's words to sink in. The painkillers that the nurse had given me seemed to be delaying my reactions. "He's dead?" I whispered, my voice not sounding like my own.

DiNozzo nodded, looking down at the well-waxed tile on the hospital floor. "I'm so sorry, Elle," he apologized.

I swallowed hard as tears began to fill my eyes. Weakly, I lifted my hand up to look at the ring that had only been there for an hour now. "Tim...my McGee...is dead?" It seemed impossible. Then it hit me and the tears came raining down. My chest heaved with uncontrolled sobs and I reached out for Tony. He took my hand and I felt him sit down beside me on the bed. He didn't say anything. He just stayed at my side until I lapsed into the dark unknown, desperately trying to forget what he'd just told me.

When Tony emerged from the back of the ER ward, Ziva was waiting for him.

"Abby and Ducky will both be here at any minute and I just spoke with Director Vance. He's going to issue a statement right away that an NCIS agent was shot and killed tonight. Gibbs is still wi—" She stopped suddenly, recognizing that something was wrong with Tony. "What is it?" she asked, putting her hand on her arm.

"I don't like putting her through this, even if it is just so everything seems more...real. Why do I always have to do the unsavory jobs?!" Tony exclaimed, running his fingers through his dark hair.

In a gesture that surprised them both, Ziva put her arms around Tony's neck and hugged him close. "It's all right, Tony," she whispered. "This will all be over soon."

Instinctively, Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva's small waist and held her tightly. "I know," he replied, inhaling the scent of her Pantene shampoo.

"Ziva! Tony! What the hell are you two doing?" Gibbs demanded to know, walking in and seeing them, followed closely by Abby and Ducky. Nurses and doctors alike turned to look at the interesting young girl, but their stares didn't bother Abby.

"Where's McGee...'s body?" Abby asked, adding the last part on as an afterthought. For a moment, she had forgotten about the whole ruse they were trying to pull.

"He's in there," Tony told her, pointed to one of the nearby rooms as he rushed to get Ziva out of his embrace. "Boss, Elle took it badly. She's passed out in there."

Gibbs nodded. He had fully expected that. "I'll go talk to her," he said, pushing through the small space between Ziva and Tony. He knew that they would eventually end up together, but he still wanted to make them think that he didn't want them to break #12, even though he'd done it a few times before.

Elle was awake again, but her head was turned to the side and she was staring at the wall, but not seeing. She didn't even blink when he came into the room. Tears rolled silently down her pale cheeks. The traces of blood on her skin were a bright contrast to the white gauze, black dress, and pale skin.

"Elle?" Gibbs called her name quietly. "Elle, I need you to look at me."

Slowly, she turned towards him, her chin quivering dangerously as more sobs threatened to escape her throat. "He's gone, Gibbs. My McGee—the only person I had left—is gone." She lifted her hands and covered her face, unable to face the terrible truth.

Gibbs walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, putting his hand on her good shoulder gently. "I'm sorry, Elle. I really am."

Slowly, wincing sharply as she did so, I sat up and leaned my head against Gibbs' chest, in desperate need of comfort. One of the bullets had hit my shoulder and the other had grazed my side, just underneath my arm. Gibbs put his arms around me lightly and let me cry on his shoulder until my throat ached, I was breathless, and my wounds were hurting to bad to sit up anymore.

Tony, Ziva, Abby, and Ducky went to see McGee, who was being moved to a room where he'd have to stay overnight for observation.

"McGee!" Abby cried, rushing towards her good friend as an orderly wheeled his bed into the elevator. "Oh my gosh! You look terrible!"

"Thanks, Abby," Tim replied, flinching when she hugged him too tightly.

"Careful, Abby," Ziva cautioned her.

"Oops, sorry," the black-haired girl apologized.

"Probie! It looks like you're gonna get a few days off," Tony remarked, grinning impishly down at McGee.

"How's Elle taking the news?" Tim wanted to know.

"She'll be fine," Tony brushed it away nonchalantly. "She didn't seem to be bothered too much by your death. I'd say she compartmentalizes very well."

McGee glared up at Tony. "Could you at least be serious for a few minutes, Tony? Honestly, how did she take the news?"

"She was devastated," Tony told him simply. "Gibbs is with her now."

McGee nodded, downcast. "How soon can I get out of here?" he wanted to know. "I hate hospitals and so does Gibbs."

"McGee!" Abby wailed. "You just got shot twice, like...an hour ago. You're not going anywhere for a long time."

"I'm afraid Abby is right, Timothy," Ducky spoke up. "You need to stay under the care of a doctor for at least twenty-four hours."

"Can't you look after me?" McGee wanted to know. The stark whiteness of hospitals jumped out at him from every inch of the ward.

"Most of the young men I look at have _died_ from gunshot wounds," Ducky reminded him. "The idea of treating you seems somewhat morbid."

"I'm gonna have to agree with Ducky, McGee," Tony declared. "I can't imagine seeing you laid out on one of those silver slabs..." He shivered unconsciously. "Yeah, bad idea."

Ziva stood to the side, not saying anything. She was trying to figure out why she had hugged Tony just now. Yes, she was attracted to him and she had been since she'd first joined the NCIS team, but Gibbs would kill her if she acted on those feelings. It was Rule # 12...she thought. One look at Tony, his arm around Abby's shoulders and his other hand on McGee's shoulder, reminded her just how much she truly cared about him. It was something that she wouldn't soon forget.


	30. McGee's Funeral

Late the next afternoon, McGee was released from the hospital and went home with Tony, much to the patient's chagrin. Staying with Tony meant hearing about movie after movie, and girl after girl.

Elle, however, had to stay one more night for observation. She was still quiet, cried frequently, and only talked to Gibbs. He stayed by her side as much as he could, even though he had to go out into the hall several times for phone calls. Director Vance, in a gesture of kindness towards the team, was making all the arrangements for the fake funeral. Tim had talked to his parents and sister, explaining why things were being done the way they were. Ziva and Tony had gone to the Rogers residence, where the found Mrs. Rogers a mess as she wondered frantically where her husband was. She hadn't seen him since the night of the shooting. Word of the death of an NCIS agent had spread across the news in D.C. His girlfriend was listed as in "stable" condition at the hospital.

I had been lying in the bed for what seemed like years, but I knew it had only been a day. Gibbs was dozing in the loveseat in the corner. From the way he'd acted, I knew he hated hospitals as much I did, but he was too sweet to say so.

A nurse came into give me some more painkillers, but I stopped her.

"I don't want anymore of that stuff," I declared weakly, not even bothering to turn my head towards her.

"Ms. Charlton, you need the meds to keep the pain in control. This will make you feel better," she assured me. Her tone was patronizing and I knew she was thinking—that I was an emotional wrecked young woman who didn't know what she was saying.

"She said she didn't want them," Gibbs said from behind the nurse. I hadn't even realized that he was awake, and neither had she.

"Agent Gibbs, she's been shot," the nurse reminded him. "She's in pain and she ne—"

"How do you know what kind of pain she is in?" Gibbs snapped. "If she says she doesn't want them, then don't give them to her."

Reluctantly, the nurse gave up to Gibbs cold glare and left the room. Gibbs got up, rubbing his eyes and walked over to the bed, then sat down beside me on the small bed.

"How're you holdin' up?" he asked me quietly.

Those same tears welled up in my eyes again and my throat ached painfully. My chin began to quiver, but I managed to conquer it after a few seconds. "I don't want the meds," I whispered. "They make the...nightmares worse, I think."

"Okay, don't take them. I'll get you some Advil in a little while. What else?"

I looked down and played with the edge of the blankets absently. "I won't have a life, once I get out of here. I lost Will, and now Tim." I sobbed when I mentioned McGee's name. "I don't want to live, Gibbs. I _want _to die!" I tried to sit up, but the wound in my side protested and I collapsed back onto the pillows, sobbing and clutching my side.

Agent Gibbs was torn. He, too, wanted to tell Elle the truth, but he wasn't sure if now was the right moment. He needed to wait about twelve more hours and then, hopefully, all this would be resolved. Until then, though, he'd be stuck in this hospital, looking after Elle.

The next morning, Ziva picked me up from the hospital so I could get ready for the funeral, which was at 11AM. I was in desperate need of a shower, some makeup, and some fresh clothes.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, a towel wrapped around my dripping wet body, I saw the sadness in my own eyes. I couldn't even smile, despite my attempts. No amount of makeup could disguise how exhausted and beaten down I was.

"Elle?" Ziva called, coming into the bedroom. "It's almost time to go."

I nodded silently. That was the good thing about Ziva; she didn't say much. She was smart enough to know there wasn't anything she could say that would make things any better.

I reached out to pick up my phone from off my vanity when I realized that my engagement ring was still on my finger, as beautiful as it had been the moment Tim had slipped it on. I held it up to the light to admire it once more.

"It's beautiful," Ziva remarked quietly. "McGee was so proud of it. He told us that he was going to propose to you."

I swallowed hard and fought back tears. "We had six months of sheer happiness together," I told her. "Then it was all over in sixty seconds."

"I'm so sorry, Elle," Ziva said, looking a little uneasy.

I shook my head. "It isn't your fault, Ziva. I'm ready if you are."

We drove to the graveyard where the service for McGee was being held. Gibbs had vaguely mentioned some sort of memorial service that would be held later on for friends and family.

Gibbs met me at the door of the car, along with the rest of the team. Both he, Tony, and Ducky were dressed in nice suits. Abby was dressed completely in black and looked almost as depressed as I was.

"Elle, you ready for this?" Gibbs asked me.

I took a deep breath and nodded hesitantly. "Yes," I replied, getting out the Dodge Charger slowly. My wounds were still painful, but I continued to refuse the painkillers.

Gibbs stayed close to my side and I held on to his arm for support as we walked closer to the gravesite. My throat ached painfully and my nose was smarting, but I refused to cry right now. The rest of the team stayed close around us, but as I glanced around at their expressions. They seemed to be handling it very well, though. And, for some reason, all of them were carrying their weapons. In fact, they looked like they were pretty much dressed for work, except for the dressier clothes.

In the back of my mind, something told me that this seemed a little...off. I could see Tim's parents sitting by the coffin, but they didn't look terribly depressed, which confused me. I glanced up at Gibbs to see if his face betrayed anything, but it didn't.

As we got closer, I heard "Amazing Grace" playing softly and I nearly choked on the held-back sobs. My heart ached, as cliché as it sounded. I could see the sunshine creating a blinding glare off the varnish on the casket. I could see Tim's parents and sister sitting up front. There were only three chairs; not enough for me. Of course, I wasn't family. I was just the future family who would no longer exist. I felt faint and weak, so I clung tighter to Gibbs' arm. Tony was close at my side, as well.

"Don't worry, Elle. We're here for you," he assured me quietly as we took our places by the casket and the service began.

I leaded my forehead against Gibbs' shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut. I was about to run away when I heard Gibbs mutter something to his team.

"He's here. McGee, he's yours."


	31. A kiss for Gibbs and a punch for Tony

My head snapped up and I followed Gibbs' line of sight to the nearby grove of pine trees. That's when I saw him. Mr. Rogers, the man who had murdered my fiancé and shot me twice as well, was watching the funeral from the cover of the trees.

"That son-of-a-bit—" I began, stepping away from everyone as the rage boiled inside of me.

"Hold her, Tony," Gibbs instructed the younger agent and in a moment, two strong hands held me from going any further.

"Let me go, DiNozzo!" I hissed, struggling to get away from him. "Please, let me go."

"Just hang on for a minute, Elle," he insisted. "Let Gibbs and McGee take care of this."

I looked at Ziva and she realized that Tony had given it all away. Tim was still alive? My heart leapt for joy when I thought of the possibility.

"Where is he?" I demanded to know, ceasing my struggle to get away from Tony.

"He's right there." Tony pointed towards the grove of trees and I saw McGee emerging, hauling a furious Mr. Rogers, handcuffed, with him. Gibbs met them and steered the man towards the Charger.

"TIM!" I screamed, my voice tinged with hysteria. He was so close that I could see the corners of his mouth begin to turn up when he saw me.

I hardly knew I was running towards him, but I was. My high-heeled shoes had somehow ended up in my hand and I was weaving between the tombstones until I could throw my arms around McGee's neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly and I ignored the pain his grasp was causing me.

"Oh! You're alive," I sobbed happily, still unable to believe it. "You're here! You're safe!"

"Elle, I'm so sorry. We did it to protect you. We need you to be convincing," he explained, stroking my long blonde hair.

"I don't care, baby," I assured him. "You're here, with me. I love you so much, Tim." I sighed with relief, smiling and feeling my heart miraculously beat in my chest again. It didn't ache anymore.

"I love you, too."

After twenty minutes, everyone left the "funeral" and headed back to the NCIS building. I couldn't bring myself to leave Tim's side; he was alive and he was still mine. While Tony and Ziva rode up front, he and I sat in the back seat, making up for a little lost time.

Once back in the bullpen, everyone huddled together to discuss what had happened. Suddenly, I looked up at Tony sharply.

"You!" I exclaimed. "You're the one who told me that Tim was dead! How could you?"

Tony looked at me uncomfortably and then tried to look somewhere else. "I...um..." he stammered, trying to figure out what to tell me.

All the pent up rage and hurt that had been building up inside of me since I'd been told that Rogers killed McGee had to be released somehow. At that very moment, I could only think of one thing that would make me feel better.

I punched Tony DiNozzo's jaw with all the strength I could. He reeled backwards from the blow.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded to know, rubbing his jaw tenderly.

I tossed my head. "You were the one who told me that McGee had been killed!" Behind me, I could hear Ziva and Tim laughing.

"She really hit you good, Tony," Ziva pointed out.

"She's got a hit like you, Ziva," DiNozzo told her. " You almost broke my jaw. And it wasn't my idea to tell you that! It was Gibbs'."

"Gibbs?" I echoed, unable to believe that he'd authorized a scheme like this one. "He actually told you to go through with something this stup..." I let my voice trail off when I saw Tony's eyes get big. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" I whispered.

"Yep," Ziva, Tim, and Tony chorused.

I pivoted slowly and found myself face-to-face with Gibbs. His expression was serious, but I could see the amusement deep in his eyes.

"You gonna punch me too?" he wanted to know.

I thought for a minute. "No. You weren't trying to hit on me while I thought McGee was dead, so I'll just give you a kiss." I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek softly. He hugged me gently and I could see a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Wait a second!" McGee exclaimed. "Tony, you were hitting on my fiancé while she thought I was dead?"

DiNozzo blushed and shrugged, grinning devilishly despite the blow I'd just dealt him. "Boss said to stay in character, so I figured that's what I would have done if you'd really died."

I leaned my head against Tim's chest happily. "It doesn't matter, McGee," I assured him. "I told him to get the idea out of his head."

"You slapped me as hard as you could," Tony reminded me.

"Yeah, so?"

Gibbs walked up to Tony and stared at him for just a moment. Then, he promptly smacked him on the back of the head.

That night, we went back to my apartment to relax for a little while. Both McGee and I were exhausted and sore from our wounds, along with the excitement of the day. Suddenly, going home didn't seem so depressing anymore. All the reminders of McGee—the pictures of us on the fridge and shelves, his tennis shoes in the foyer closet, our writing piled on the kitchen table—no longer made my heart ache.

After we changed out of our dressy clothes, we collapsed on the sofa.

"Tired?" McGee asked me.

I nodded. "And sore." I snuggled closer to him, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "I love you," I whispered softly. "When Tony told me that you were dead...I wanted to die, too."

Tim kissed my forehead softly. "I know, baby. It's fine now, though."

I looked up into his bright blue eyes. "You're my life now, McGee. I don't go on without you, so don't get shot again."

"I'll do my best," he replied, pressing his forehead against mine.

For what seemed like forever, we stayed snuggled up on that couch, discussing our future together and sometimes doing other things besides talking. Each kiss was tenderer than the last. We were so in love with one another and that was all that mattered.


	32. Final Author's Note

_Okay, folks, that's the whole story for now! I'm kinda out of ideas, so...Do pay attention to my writing though. I may come in with a sequel at some point in the next month or so...not sure yet!_


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